


When Push Comes to Shove

by kara-danvers-lena-luthor (Mesk)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Slow Burn, ignoring all the canon mess, instead of forcing two characters together like the SG writers like to do, rating might change in the future, slow burn supercorp as well, trying to develop a good relationship between them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-02-11 03:25:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12926304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mesk/pseuds/kara-danvers-lena-luthor
Summary: Alex is single again, and she doesn't have many friends. Neither does Sam. So why not build a friendship between them (that might lead to something more)?Aka, A "re-write" of the giant mess the writers have been doing this season.





	1. The Setup

"Hey, mom," Ruby says, holding her mother's arm to get her attention. "Isn't that the lady we met on the pier? The one you made me apologize to?" 

Sam stops walking when Ruby tugs at her arm, and she looks into the café she's pointing to. "Oh, yeah." she smiles. "That's Alex, Kara's sister."

"Ah…" Ruby nods, thinking for a second. "So is she your friend now too?"

Sam snorts out a laugh, "I mean…kinda? I'm friends with Lena, Lena is friends with Kara, and that's her sister. We're not exactly bffs."

Ruby rolls her eyes at her mother. "You're always telling me I need to make more friends, that it's going to make the move to National City feel easier… That's true for you too, you know?"

Sam can't help the warm smile that appears on her lips; her daughter is growing up more and more each day, and sometimes it just takes her by surprise. Booping Ruby's nose -- making her scrunch it and try to swat her mother's hand away -- Sam says, "You're right. Should we go in so I can say hi to her?"

Ruby shrugs, but she's smiling. She likes this lady, she gets a pretty badass vibe from her. "Sure… I mean, why not?"

"Okay. Let's do it, then." Sam chuckles, pulling the door to the café open and letting Ruby walk in in front of her.

"Alex, sorry to interrupt you--" Sam says politely when they reach Alex's table. "Someone wanted to say hello."

Alex is surprised, but the sight of Ruby immediately makes her smile -- not that if Sam were alone she wouldn't be welcome, mind you, but Alex has really taking a liking to the teenager.

"Sam, Ruby, hi!" Alex smiles, and stands up to give each of them a hug. "You guys aren't interrupting anything, please--" she says motioning to the empty chairs at her table. 

"Just so we're clear, by 'someone', my mom means herself." Ruby says, making a funny face at her mom before sitting next to Alex.

Chuckling, Sam shakes her head, and takes a seat as well. "I wasn't the only one, though. I think you have a fan, Alex."

"Mom!!!" Ruby whines, covering her face to hide her blushing.

The whole situation is highly amusing to Alex, and she tries to make the teenager feel better, "Well, I'm your fan too, Ruby. We're cool." she says, winking at Ruby when the girl chances a look at her.

Sam watches the interaction with nothing but appreciation in her eyes; it's hard to find nice people she would consider being friends with, and it's even harder to find nice people who are good with kids, but Alex seems to be both.

Once her mind returns to the present, Sam asks, "Are we keeping you? We don't want to be any trouble."

"Oh, pfft." Alex waves dismissively. "It's my day off, so it's no trouble at all, I promise."

"Okay, good." Sam smiles brightly.

"Mom told me you have a girlfriend, is she an FBI agent like you?" Ruby asks curiously.

"Um, no--" Sam watches as Alex's gaze falls, and she fidgets awkwardly in her chair. "But she is a detective, though." Alex tries to smile, but Sam notices it doesn't look genuine. "Um, she and I… W-We're not dating anymore."

"Oh…" Ruby is the one who feels awkward now, and she looks at her mom for help.

"I'm sorry, Alex." Sam says reaching across the table to gently squeeze Alex’s arm. 

“It’s okay.” Alex blushes slightly, looking down at where Sam’s hand is. “We had different visions for our future; mine involved having kids, hers didn’t.” She shrugs a little, trying to pretend the breakup doesn’t still hurt. 

“Hey,” Sam says softly, squeezing Alex’s arm once more. “You two were very mature and level-headed to do what you did. Most people I know would just insist on a future they knew couldn’t happen. But you knew that a difference that big would get in the way of you being happy. You did the right thing."

"I know…" Alex sighs, giving Sam a small smile. "Thank you."

"Maybe now you could date my mom." Ruby says as if she's stating a simple fact, and with the naiveté only kids have.

"Ruby!" Sam groans lowly, pulling her hand away from Alex; but she isn't mad, just amused at her daughter's line of thought.

"What?" The kid asks, shrugging at her mother. "You're single, she's single. You're awesome, she's awesome…"

Alex is blushing and wide-eyed. She was not expecting to hear that.

"And that's all that matters, right?" Sam chuckles. "Here," she grabs a twenty-dollar bill from her wallet and hands it to Ruby. "Get me a sticky bun and a cappuccino, please. You can treat yourself, get anything you want."

Ruby knows her mom just wants her out of there for a bit to talk to Alex in private, but she's happy she gets to buy whatever she wants, so she complies without putting up a fight.

Once Ruby gets in line to order, Sam laughs and shakes her head. "I swear to god, sometimes I think she doesn't have a filter between her brain and her mouth, but she means well…she just wants me to be happy."

"Well… she's right." Alex starts, only to realize how her words might be interpreted so she hurries to explain, "I-I mean…not-not that we should date, we barely know each other and I just got out of a very serious relationship, b-but…um…" Alex facepalms and shakes her head, laughing at herself. "W-What I mean is, she's right in wanting to see you happy."

Sam wouldn't admit it to anyone just yet, but she found Alex's stumbling to find the right words very endearing. She's used to people having silver tongues, talking so smoothly you're inclined to believe everything they say only for half of it to be lies; Alex is different, she seems to be confident about a lot of things, but when it comes to her feelings, she seems to have a bit of a hard time, and to Sam that suggests that Alex is trying her best to be truthful.

"I know." Sam grins. "She's a great kid… Sometimes…sometimes it's hard to believe that she came from me, you know?" Alex's heart skips a beat, and her stomach flutters at the way Sam talks about her daughter; that's exactly the way she wants to feel, she wants to feel that unconditional love for her child too. "She's growing up so fast… she's her own person now, and god, it's terrifying." Sam chuckles.

"I think you're doing a great job." Alex says with a smile. "And I know it mustn't be easy with the job you have."

"It isn't." Sam sighs. "I wish I had more time to spend with her… or that I had someone I trust to help me out, but--" Sam looks at Alex and chuckles, "I can't even remember when was the last time I dated."

"Three years ago." Ruby says, walking back to the table with their order. "I remember, because Paul was supposed to go to my first piano recital and he didn't show up. And then you broke up with him."

Sam shares a look with Alex; a look that says everything they couldn't voice at that moment, because Sam didn't want to make Ruby feel bad. But Alex understands that dating someone when you have a kid is much more complicated, so she smiles reassuringly at Sam, and gives her a little nod.

"But hey, I do remember how much break-ups suck." Sam chuckles, and Alex laughs with her. "You suddenly find yourself alone, and when you want to do something, your partner in crime is not there to have fun with you, so--" Sam smirks slightly at Alex, "Having a friend in times like this could be really useful; how about you come have dinner with us tomorrow?"

"Yes!! Can you come??" Ruby asks excitedly, making her mom chuckle.

"No pressure, Alex. If you're busy, or not feeling up for it, it's okay." Sam reassures her.

Alex looks from Sam to Ruby, and she can't help but melt at the way the girl seems so excited to have her over; and hey, having Sam as a friend might be good since she seems like a very cool, intelligent woman. "I'll be there." Alex says, smiling at both of them.

Ruby grins happily -- something that doesn't go unnoticed by her mother -- and Sam says, "How about you come over around seven, and we can chat while I cook?"

"Sounds like a plan." Alex grins.

They continue chatting and eating their food until Sam and Ruby have to go, leaving Alex smiling to herself as she looks at the piece of paper with Sam's phone number and address, and she thinks that this might the beginning of a good friendship.


	2. The Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the nice comments, guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter ^^

"Alex! You're here!" Ruby says, skipping a couple steps as she goes down the stairs to give Alex a hug in greeting.

"I am, hi!" Alex chuckles, hugging Ruby back. "Did you have a good day in school?"

Ruby shrugs, "Yeah, I mean, just the same every day, you know?"

"But no one's giving you a hard time, right?" Alex asks, knowing how hard it is for kids to adapt to a new school.

"Oh, no. Some kids are jerks, but--"

"Ruby." Sam chastises from the other side of the kitchen island.

"Sorry, mom." She says almost automatically, but she smirks at Alex and mouths silently to her that some kids are real jerks, making Alex chuckle. "They are bad, but I stay away from them, and they stay away from me, so it works." Ruby says shrugging again.

"Good. If they ever give you any trouble, just let me know." Alex says, thinking she sounds pretty badass.

"Would you get Supergirl to come deal with them??"

Alex feigns getting her feelings hurt by the question, placing one hand over her heart in an over-dramatic fashion. "Ugh, and here I was thinking I was being all badass… but I see how it is…I'm not as good as Supergirl, I get it…" Ruby tries to speak, but Alex just continues her 'heartbreaking' speech even though she can barely hide her smile. "No, no, it's fiiiine. I get it. I can't fly, I don't have heat-vision… How could I ever be as cool as Supergirl??" When Alex hears Sam laughing, she can't stop herself from laughing too.

"I'm sorry, Alex, I didn't mean it that way!" Ruby finally manages to say when her laughter dies down.

"It's okay, kiddo, I totally get it. Supergirl is pretty cool." Alex reassures her.

Noticing the way her daughter seems to be catching her breath to bombard Alex with questions about Supergirl, Sam stops her before she can get started. "Hold on, missy. Have you finished all your homework?" When silence and a sheepish look is all she gets in response, Sam smirks and says, "Go on, finish your homework, and then you can come back and ask Alex as many questions as she’s willing to answer."

"Yup," Alex agrees, "When you finish up, you can ask me all the questions you want."

That seems to be motivation enough, and soon Sam and Alex are alone once more. "God, where are my manners? You got here what, twenty minutes ago? And I still haven't offered you anything to drink." Sam says, fussing over cabinets to check what she can offer Alex.

"It's okay, Sam, you're busy with all the cooking. I really don't mind waiting." Alex says, sitting back at the kitchen island.

"Nonsense." Sam waves dismissively. "I have whiskey in here, and…" she opens the fridge and smiles at her findings, "And I've got white and red wine, and a couple of different beers. What would you prefer?"

"Red wine sounds lovely, thank you." Alex replies, noticing how comfortable she feels at Sam's house; however, the thought makes Alex feel guilty as if somehow she's betraying Maggie…as if she shouldn't be enjoying another woman's company so soon after their breakup.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Sam asks when she notices Alex fidgeting with the sleeve of her sweater.

"Yeah," Alex laughs nervously, "Just some crazy thoughts going through my head, but I'm fine."

"Okay," Sam finishes pouring the wine, and hands a glass to Alex. "I know we're not exactly close friends yet, but if you ever want to talk, I'm here."

"Thanks, Sam." Alex replies sincerely. She raises her glass, and says, "To new friends?"

Sam smiles and nods, gently clinking her glass to Alex's. "To new friends."

Taking a sip of her wine, Alex asks, "Are you sure you don't want any help? I'm not a good cook, I'll give you that, but I got mad chopping skills."

Sam almost chokes on her wine; something about the way Alex said it sounded so nerdy, Sam couldn't help but find it hilarious. "I'm sorry," she says, still chuckling a little as she grabs a paper towel to dry her chin. "You sounded very adorable."

"Me? Adorable? Pfffft, no!" Alex's cheeks turn bright red, and she straightens her back, squaring her shoulders. "H-Have I mentioned how good I am with a-- with a--"

"Knife?" Sam laughs harder. "Yes, you've made it pretty clear that you are indeed a badass."

"Why am I trying to be friends with you again?" Alex asks jokingly, trying to hide her blush by taking another sip of her drink.

"Because it takes one badass woman to know one." Sam replies, wiggling her eyebrows, making Alex laugh. "Come on, I got a job for you." she says, handing Alex a knife. "Could you cut the vegetables for the salad, please?"

"Of course, happy to." Alex takes the knife, and as she's walking around the kitchen island, Alex throws the knife up and catches it with ease, "See, Arias? Mad skills."

"Alright, Danvers. You've convinced me." Sam chuckles, and hands Alex all the vegetables that need cutting.

A few minutes later when Ruby is done with her homework, she makes her way down the stairs, and seeing her mom laughing along with Alex, she quickly grabs her phone and sneaks a picture of them. In her mind, Ruby figures that if something does end up happening between the two of them, she'll have a good picture of the first time they had dinner together; and if not, well, then she has a cute picture of her mom and her friend.

Dinner goes by incredibly fast in Alex's opinion; before she realizes it, they are already clearing out the table for dessert.

"Are you going to stay over tonight?" Ruby asks through a mouthful of ice cream. "Mom makes killer pancakes for breakfast."

Sam shakes her head good-naturedly at her daughter, but she says, "You're welcome to sleep here tonight, Alex."

"I-I don't want to overstay my welcome." Alex replies, feeling her cheeks turning pink again.

"You wouldn't be overstaying, I promise." Sam guarantees, but she understands that not everybody feels comfortable sleeping anywhere else besides their own bed, so she says, "But if you don't want to, it's totally okay."

"But she was drinking, mom, she shouldn't be driving." Ruby insists, and Alex can't help but find the girl's stubbornness a little endearing -- maybe Alex sees a little of herself in Ruby.

"Well, Alex can stay here for a couple more hours and wait for the alcohol to wear off, or she can get an uber if she wants to go home." Sam says calmly.

"But, mom--"

"Ruby." The way Sam says her name is enough to let Ruby know she should quit insisting.

Feeling a little awkward and not wanting to disappoint the teenager, Alex says, "I-I can stay…"

"Don't let the puppy eyes and the pout win you over, Alex, or you're done for." Sam chuckles, but she is trying to give Alex a way out in case she doesn’t want to stay the night.

"Oh, believe me, I have to deal with Supergirl's pout, so I can handle Ruby’s." The idea of her favorite hero pouting makes Ruby laugh, and Alex can't help but feel good for making that happen. She looks at Sam and asks, "Are you sure it's no trouble?"

"I'm sure, no trouble at all." Sam replies, smiling at how excited Ruby looks. "But you, little lady," she says to her daughter, "finish your ice cream, brush your teeth, and go to bed."

"But mom…" Ruby whines, "It's only nine!"

"Yes, and you have to be up at six-thirty to get ready for school, so no whining. Come on, finish up."

Ruby does manage to ask Alex a few more questions before Sam says her name in that special way that lets Ruby know her mom is reaching her limit. Giving both of them a hug goodnight, Ruby goes back upstairs to get ready for bed.

"She's such a great kid." Alex gushes as she settles on the couch with Sam.

"I'm totally biased, but yeah, she is." Sam smiles all proudly. "You'll be a great mom one day, Alex, I can tell."

Biting her lip to contain her smile, Alex starts fidgeting with a throw pillow to keep her hands occupied. "Thank you. I-I really hope so--" but before Alex can get another word in, she hears Sam yawning.

"God, I'm sorry, Alex." She apologizes, feeling a little embarrassed.

"No, don't apologize, it's okay. You're probably exhausted, it's been a long day."

"It's not even the long hours that are getting to me, I'm used to that, it's just… I've been having these weird nightmares…" Sam's eyes widen, and she looks like a deer caught in the headlights. She didn't mean to tell anyone that, but she's so tired the words were spilling out before she could do anything about it.

Alex frowns slightly, "Do you wanna talk about them?" she asks softly.

Sam tries to laugh it off, waving dismissively at Alex, "No, it's okay. They are just, um, really weird nightmares. Almost like a sci-fi, horror movie hybrid, you know? It's nothing serious just…just annoying, that's all."

Alex can tell Sam is lying, but it's clear she doesn't want to talk about them, so she backs off. "Well, then I guess we should call it a night so you can get some rest."

"Sorry for being such a poor host." Sam says, getting up so they can make their way upstairs.

Following Sam, Alex shakes her head, "What? No! You've been lovely, Sam. I had a wonderful time, but it is getting late, I understand."

Sam thanks Alex, and shows her where the bathroom and the guest bedroom are. "I'll get you one of my pajamas, I'll be right back."

It isn't long before Sam is back, handing Alex one her favorite pajamas. "I think they will fit you well, and they are very comfortable." She says smiling. "Um, there's a pack of new toothbrushes in the sink cabinet, and… Oh! I need to leave to take Ruby to school around seven-thirty, so we'll probably have breakfast at seven. You're welcome to join us, but if you want to sleep in and leave after us, that's okay too."

"I'll be downstairs at seven." Alex says with a bright smile. "I don't think Ruby would forgive me if I missed breakfast, plus, I can run out and get coffee if you want me to."

Chuckling and shaking her head, Sam says, "I see Ruby has won you over." She laughs. "Good night, Alex. If you need anything, just knock on my door, it's the last one on the left."

"Thanks, Sam. Good night."

Alex gets ready for bed, and settles in for the night, but it is in fact too early for her to sleep, so she decides to watch TV until she gets sleepy.

A little after midnight, Alex hears some mumbling coming from somewhere near, and her first instinct as a DEO agent is to grab her gun and investigate, but remembering she isn't at home and that she doesn't have her gun with her, Alex gets up, and quietly opens her door. Before she takes more than a couple steps into the hallway, she sees Ruby opening her door.

Taking in how scared Ruby looks, Alex gently holds her hand and coos softly, "Hey, sweetie, everything is okay."

"It's my mom…" Ruby whispers back to Alex; tears starting to well up in her eyes. "She's been having these awful nightmares, but she won't talk to me about it. Can you help her, Alex? Please?"

The fear she sees in Ruby's eyes cuts deep into Alex's heart. "Of course, sweetie. I'll do everything I can to help, okay?” She says, squeezing Ruby’s hand lightly in what Alex hopes is a reassuring manner. “But right now, I need you to go back to bed, because your mom needs you to be well-rested for school tomorrow, alright? Can you do that for me?"

Ruby stares at Alex for a few seconds as if she's deciding whether to trust her or not, but Alex is a federal agent and she knows Supergirl, so in Ruby's mind there's no one better to help her mom than Alex. "Okay." she finally says, letting go of Alex’s hand to close her door again.

Alex waits until she hears the covers shuffling inside Ruby's room so she's certain the girl is back in bed before she quietly makes her way to Sam's room.

When she reaches the door, Alex stops and considers what huge invasion of privacy it will be if she opens Sam's door without knocking first, but then Alex hears it -- Sam's voice twisted in agonizing pain as words in Kryptonian are mumbled between sobs. Without giving it a second thought, Alex flings the door open and what she sees leaves her paralyzed for a few seconds; Sam’s still mumbling incoherently, tears streaming down her tightly-shut eyes, and her back arching off the bed as if every muscle in her body is straining against an invisible force.

When Sam cries out in agony again, Alex snaps out of her haze and she crawls onto the bed, cradling Sam’s face in her hands. “Sam, Sam, wake up!” Alex begs, but before she knows it, Sam has grabbed her by the collar of her pajamas, and she’s being thrown across the room.

Alex has the wind knocked out of her lungs when her back hits the wall, and she winces trying to get back up. “S-Sam,” Alex uses every bit of strength left in her body to make her way back to the bed. “Sam, please, you have to wake up!” She says, grabbing Sam’s arm. “Ruby is scared, Sam. You need to come back to her!”

Ruby’s name seems to have a good effect on Sam; the crying stops, and her muscles relax, making Alex sigh in relief. But her relief is short-lived. Everything seems to come back with a vengeance, and as Alex is trying to soothe Sam, trying to get her to wake up, Alex sees the familiar glow of heat-vision starting behind Sam’s eyelids. She only has time to jump out of the way before two laser beams are scorching the ceiling.

Sam’s body falls back heavily on the bed, and with a gasp she finally wakes up.

The smell of something burning assaults Sam’s nostrils, but she’s so tired, so confused by the terrible nightmare she just had that she thinks she must be imagining the smell.

“S-Sam?” Alex whispers, slowly getting up from the floor.

That startles Sam, but she notices that Alex also jumps back slightly. “What—What are you doing here?” she asks even more confused.

“I heard you crying, and I came in to check on you…” Alex explains, inching closer to the bed very carefully. “Sam…what were you dreaming about?”

“I-I don’t know…” Sam is drenched in cold sweat, and she pulls the covers over her body as if they could protect her from whatever is happening.

“I need you to try to remember, okay?” Alex says softly, sitting on the edge of the mattress.

“What difference does it make?!?!? It was just a dream!” Sam snaps, feeling too irritable, too vulnerable and scared to try to put into words what she saw in her nightmare.

“Sam… Dreams don’t make you do that—” Alex says pointing up to the scorch marks on the ceiling.

A horrified gasp falls from Sam’s lips, and her knuckles turn white from grasping the covers too tightly. "A-Alex…" Sam sobs desperately. "W-What's happening to me?"


	3. The DEO

"Agent Danvers." J'onn looks confusedly from Alex to Sam, then back at Alex. "What is Ms. Arias doing here?"

Giving Sam a small, reassuring smile, Alex tries to explain what happened the previous night, "Sir, I believe… I believe Sam might be Kryptonian." she says in one breath.

"Wait, did I hear it right??" Winn, who was walking back to his station right as Alex was talking, stops dead on his tracks to take part in the conversation. "Sam is Kryptonian too??? That's awesome!!! But I mean, first Superman, then Supergirl, then the prisoners at Fort Rozz, now Sam! How many Kryptonians are there on Earth?"

The look J'onn, Alex, and Sam give Winn makes it clear to him that he read the situation completely wrong. "W-What? It-It's not awesome?"

Sam fidgets under Winn's and J'onn's scrutinizing gazes, and she feels like fleeing, but she knows she can't; she knows that whatever is going on with her is dangerous -- she can feel it in her bones -- so she knows she needs to stay, and with the conviction of a woman who has to face countless self-entitled old men for a job, Sam squares her shoulders and says calmly, "The day Supergirl saved the city from being torpedoed by that submarine, a structure beam fell and trapped my daughter beneath it. I was so scared it was going to crush her that I just kept trying to lift it, and…and I did it. I felt the metal crushing under my hands, and I actually lifted it enough that she could crawl away--"

"But that may have countless other explanations." J'onn says, but the way Alex looks at him says there's more to the story. "I'm sorry, Ms. Arias. Please, continue."

Sharing a brief look with Alex, Sam continues, "Then the day that desperate mother tried to kill Lena by shooting at her -- you know, the day James Olsen was shot -- I got home that night and Ruby pointed out that I had a hole on my shirt. After I put her to bed, I checked the jacket I was wearing at the press conference and I found a piece of metal… It was the bullet completely flat, but I didn't feel it hitting me. I didn't feel anything."

Alex notices how Sam is balling her hands into fists, and all three agents can hear how hard she's fighting to keep her voice even. Without giving it a second thought, Alex gently runs her hand down Sam's arm, and waits until Sam unfolds her hand so she can hold it.

Feeling tears welling up in her eyes at the small act of kindness, Sam takes a moment to collect herself. "I, uh…" she clears her throat and tries again. "I've been having strange dreams since I saved Ruby… The first one started with me walking through an open field, and there's a lady there… She's beautiful…and she's wearing a blue gown, but seconds after she turns to face me, she turns into this horrifying monster… And, um, once I, uh… I had a hallucination…" Sam trails off, and she scratches the bridge of her nose just as something to distract the others and herself from the fact that she wants to cry. "I, uh, I was actually awake, and my daughter saw me whimpering on the bathroom floor…" she says looking down at her own feet. "This…woman, or creature, -- a different one from before -- told me, 'From Rao's fire you are born…and soon, you will reign'. I don't know what any of that means."

"Rao is my god," Supergirl says surprising everyone. With her hands on her waist, Kara walks toward the group with all the authority of a superhero, making Sam feel wildly uncomfortable; like she shouldn't be there, like this was all a big mistake. "Rao is the god from the main religion back at my home planet." Kara explains it further, glancing at her friends, silently asking them for an explanation of their own.

"Supergirl," Alex greets, and just by the way she looks at her sister, Kara knows there's a lot she needs to get ready for. "We-- Well, I think Sam…" Alex takes a deep intake of breath. "I think Sam is Kryptonian."

"What?" Kara scoffs in disbelief. "Th-That can't be."

"Believe me, I don’t want it to be true either." Sam says defensively, pulling her hand free from Alex so she can cross her arms protectively in front of her chest.

"N-No," Kara shakes her head; clearly having some difficulty wrapping her head around the sudden news. "No, that's not it. I mean… I just don’t think it's possible. I was a teenager when I was sent to Earth, and the only other pod sent out that day was Kal-El's. The planet exploded right after I left Krypton's orbit."

"Someone might have snuck in and sent Sam before you and Kal-El." J'onn offers. "But for now we must determine if Ms. Arias is in fact Kryptonian, and if she is, we need to figure out why her powers are only manifesting themselves now. Agent Danvers, run a full check up on Ms. Arias; Winn, search the government's database and try to find any mention of a third pod landing on Earth; Supergirl," J'onn looks at Kara with the understanding of someone who also thought they would never find anyone from their own planet ever again. "You should ask Alura's hologram about a third pod being sent to Earth."

All three of them nod at their boss, and Alex gently places a hand on Sam's back to guide her toward the medical bay.

"Will this take long, Alex? I need to be at L-Corp no later than eight…if I'm going to be late I need to call Jess to let her know she'll need to rearrange my meetings." Sam says a little harshly, once she's sitting on the exam table and she sighs, rubbing her temples. "I'm sorry, this is just… This is too much. All I want is to be normal… I just want to be a good mother to my daughter."

Alex understands what's like to have her entire life turned upside down by an unforeseen change, but in her case it was someone new being introduced to her life, not finding out she's from another planet. Sighing, Alex gently grabs hold of Sam's shoulders and waits until she looks up at her, only then Alex says, "Whatever is happening to you, we will figure it out. Together. If it turns out this is just an anomaly or some sort of weird alien infection, we'll treat you and you'll go back to being a kickass CFO and an awesome mom. But if you are Kryptonian, well…" Alex smiles, "let's just say I pity whoever chooses to mess with Ruby."

Sam can't help herself; the idea of being a 'super-mom' brings some comfort to her heart, and she laughs in relief. Placing one hand on top of Alex's, Sam says, "Thank you, Alex. Really, thank you so much for doing all of this for me."

"Don't mention it." Alex shakes her head, although there's a smile tugging at her lips. "Alright," she says, letting go of Sam so she can grab a syringe. "First, let's see if I can draw some blood for analysis."

As Sam watches Alex preparing her arm to draw the blood, she says, "If? I've had blood work done before. Countless times in fact, especially when I was pregnant." But the smile disappears from Sam's face when she sees the needle bending as Alex tries to puncture her skin.

Looking up at Sam, Alex gives her a small smile. "I already expected this, okay? After all, a bullet didn't hurt you, so there's no reason a needle would."

"I-I thought it was triggered by adrenaline or something…" Sam mutters, eyes still locked on her arm.

"It might have been the case at first… but once whatever triggered this transformation started, I think it's been gradually making you stronger." Alex says softly, not wanting to cause Sam to panic. "Lay down for me, please." Once she complies, Alex gets the scan she usually uses on Kara, and starts a reading of Sam. "Do you know anything about your birth-parents?"

Sam shakes her head. "My adoptive mother never told me anything about them."

"Has she ever told you any detail of how she learned about you?" Alex asks, keeping an eye on the scanner's monitor.

Sam shakes her head, "No… But I think it's time I paid her a visit."

Alex nods, and trying to act nonchalantly she asks without looking up from the monitor, "Would you like me to go along? You know…having a federal agent there might help her tell the truth…"

Sam laughs in disbelief; she can't wrap her head around the fact that this has become her life, but still, Alex's offer is very sweet. "Thank you, but I think I can handle Patricia on my own."

"Okay." Alex smiles at Sam, and puts away the scanner. "All done, we should have the results soon. In the meantime, go back to work, go back to being a mom, alright? We've got your back."

Sam gets up from the bed and gives Alex a hug. "Thank you, Alex."

"It's no problem, Sam. Come on, I'll walk you out."

After Sam's gone, Alex gets back to the main operations room where J'onn and Kara are gathered around Winn's computer.

"So, Alex, what have you found out?" J'onn asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"She's definitely Kryptonian, but I haven't told her yet, I wanted to give her one last day to feel…normal." She says, glancing at her sister. "What did Alura say?"

Kara shakes her head, "There are no records of a third pod being sent to Earth. And I repeated the words Sam heard in her dream, and my mother says there's nothing in her archives that would explain it."

"Nothing on the government database either?" Alex asks.

"Nada." Winn says. "If she really came to Earth in a pod, whoever found her did like the Kents, and hid her pod."

"She's going to pay her adoptive mother a visit soon." Alex informs them.

"That's good." J'onn nods. "You should go with her." And before Alex can get another word in, J'onn adds, "That's an order, Agent Danvers."

"Yes, sir." Alex sighs, and starts walking away from them.

"Alex, hold up." Kara calls after her sister, and when she catches up, she places a hand on Alex's back, making her wince in pain. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's nothing, Kara. Don't worry about it." Alex tries to get Kara to let it go, but it's too late, Kara's already using her x-ray vision to check her back. 

“Alex!" Kara gasps. "What happened!?!?"

"You said you'd never use your powers on me." Alex counter argues, but she knows she's only buying time, because Kara is too protective to let this slide.

"And I never do unless you're hurt or in danger, and you're hurt, Alex! Who did this to you??"

Alex pulls Kara away from the other agents, and says, "Fine. It was Sam, okay?"

"What?!?! Alex--"

But before Kara can continue, Alex interrupts her, "She was asleep, Kara. She was having a nightmare, she was scared and in pain, I tried to wake her up, and she threw me across the room."

"She's dangerous, Alex! We need to keep her here." Kara argues, terrified of what a newly-discovered Kryptonian can do with powers she does not comprehend.

"And what, Kara? Make her lose her job? Send Ruby to live with a grandmother she's never even seen?" Alex asks exasperatedly. "What if whatever is happening with her worsens because of those decisions? The woman in her dream said, 'soon you'll reign'. Reign, Kara. We need to be smart and very careful with how we deal with all of this, because if Sam becomes what the woman said in her dream, we will have a very dangerous situation in our hands."

"That's what I'm saying! We can't let her walk free!" Kara's voice is rising as she gets increasingly frustrated at her sister.

"What if the only thing keeping her from turning into this reign thing is her humanity, Kara?? Do you remember what happened to you when you were infected by the red kryptonite??? What if she becomes like that when we cut her links to her friends and family? We can't have an enraged Kryptonian playing monarch in National City."

The words hurt Kara; part of her believes that's what Alex thinks she can become, and it scares Kara, because on some level she's afraid of it too. Crossing her arms, and averting her eyes from Alex, Kara says, "Okay… But one wrong move, one violent act from her, and I'll bring her in, Alex."

Alex nods. "If that does happen, I'll help you bring her in, but until then, continue treating Sam nicely. Be her friend, Kara Danvers, not the city's hero, okay?"

Kara nods, and then something crosses her mind. "Oh Rao… What's gonna happen to Lena if Sam turns bad??"

"Kara…" Alex sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You can't tell Lena…"

"I know, I know." Kara groans. "But I--"

"No. No buts. She can't know. We don't know what might send Sam down the wrong path." Alex says firmly, looking into her sister's eye to make sure Kara knows she's not messing around.

"Okay, okay…" Kara relents, but part of her doesn't agree with Alex; between Sam and Lena, Lena comes first, and she needs to protect her. "I'll… I'll let it go for now…"

"Good, thank you." Alex sighs in relief.

"I have to get back to CatCo." Kara says, starting to walk away from her sister. "I'll talk to you later." With a resolute look on her face, Kara flies out of the DEO determined to talk to Lena about Sam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, guys!
> 
> A couple of notes to the comments I got: yes, guys, Sam will turn into Reign, that's the whole premise of the season and I'll follow that, BUT I'll try to do a better job than the CW is doing right now. So please stay tuned, and comment ^^


	4. The Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you soooo much for the nice comments, guys! I'm really happy you're enjoying it!! 
> 
> If anyone wants to interact more, feel free to come talk to me on tumblr ( kara-danvers-lena-luthor.tumblr.com )

"Hey, boss." Kara greets Lena as she walks into the bullpen. She is nervous, but she's still as determined to talk to Lena as she was a few minutes ago when she left the DEO. 

"Kara, hi." Lena chuckles still getting used to the idea of being her friend’s boss.

"Um," Kara lets her gaze fall to the ground for a second, and she fixes her glasses before she looks back up at Lena. "Can I talk to you for a second?" she asks motioning toward the balcony where they usually have their lunch dates.

Lena follows Kara out onto the balcony, a frown showing that she is already concerned. "What is it? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah…" Kara replies, but she knows she doesn't sound convincing. "I'm just…" sighing, Kara tries again. "Have you noticed anything different with Sam?"

"Sam? No. Why?" By the way Lena crosses her arms over her chest, Kara knows she must tread carefully.

Chewing the inside of her cheek, Kara thinks hard about how to word this right -- after all, Kara Danvers shouldn't know anything is wrong with Sam, Supergirl was the one at the DEO. "It's just… I-I've noticed that she's looking kinda tired lately. I wanted to know if there was anything going on, you know, so we could try to help." Kara feels terrible lying like this, but it isn't entirely a lie. She is worried about Sam, and she does want to help, but Kara is more concerned about Lena's safety than Sam's at this very moment.

The reply seems to be good enough to disarm Lena. She lets her arms fall to her sides, and she smiles softly at Kara. "I know you've grown fond of Sam, but I promise she's okay. The job she took on is not easy, and she's afraid she's not paying enough attention to Ruby. It's just the job taking its toll on her."

Kara looks down at her feet and nods. There are so many thoughts crossing her mind. She even feels a little dizzy -- a feeling foreign to her, which only deepens her discomfort. Feeling the initial stages of a panic attack settling in, Kara takes off her glasses, closes her eyes, and starts pacing back and forth along the balcony, resisting the urge to fly away.

There are too many things at stake: Sam's safety, Alex's safety, Lena's, National City's. Even if they miraculously keep everyone safe, Kara can feel Lena getting closer and closer to finding out her true identity. She can't think of how her best friend will react to finding out she has been lying to her for so long; and yet Kara can't bring herself to tell the truth.

Just as she feels like storming off, Kara feels Lena's gentle grip on her arms. "Kara, breathe. Please."

Using her super-hearing, Kara focuses on the sound of Lena's heartbeat, just like she would do to Alex when she had just arrived on Earth. It takes a while, but eventually Lena's soothing words and steady heartbeat calm Kara down. "Would you like me to take you home?" Lena asks softly; she makes a point of not forcing Kara to explain what had just happened because Lena doesn't want to trigger another panic attack.

Shaking her head, Kara takes a couple more seconds to regroup before putting her glasses back on and looking up at Lena. "I-I'll be okay. Thank you, Lena. I-I used to have panic attacks after I moved in with the Danvers, and a-after what happened to Mon-El, they started up again…" Another partial lie, Kara thinks; they did start again after Mon-El left, but it wasn’t because of him, it was because Supergirl had fought Psi.

Lena shakes her head, "It's okay, Kara, you don't have to explain yourself. And you don't have to stay here today."

"N-no. No. I need to work… I need something to focus on." Kara replies.

"Okay." Lena frowns slightly, clearly worried about her friend. "But if you need anything, just let me know." At Kara's nod, she asks, "Would you like to go to Noonan's? Maybe a sticky bun will help take your mind off things?" Lena offers with a little self-conscious smile; she wants to help, but she doesn't want to push Kara into doing something she is not up for.

Smiling brightly at how sweet Lena is, Kara nods. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Once they get to the coffee shop, and Kara is happily eating her food, Lena takes a sip of her tea and wonders whether she should ask more questions about Kara's panic attack or not. But before she can decide, she hears Kara speaking, "I was just thinking of too many things at once," she explains through a mouth-full. Swallowing, Kara continues, "You lost Jack… and in a way, you've lost your mom too. I just… I kept thinking about how you'd feel if something were to happen to Sam… And then I thought of Ruby, and I started wondering who would take her in if the worst-case scenario came true…" Kara stares out the window to avoid Lena's intent gaze. 

"Kara…" Lena sighs, but there's a little smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Thank you for worrying so much about me, but I'll be okay, and Sam is fine--"

"I know, but what if that changes?" Kara cuts Lena off, surprising her. "We didn't foresee what happened to Jack, to Lillian, or to Mon-El…" Kara bites her lip, and her gaze falls. "Do you know what would happen to Ruby if Sam couldn't take care of her anymore?" she asks quietly.

Lena frowns, and she wants to ask why Kara is so fixated on the idea of Sam getting hurt, but she decides to answer nonetheless. "I'm not sure. Sam and I have been getting closer since she moved here, but I don't know a great deal about her personal life. Maybe her adoptive mother?"

Kara nods, and chances a look at Lena, "S-Sorry… I guess I'm the one who hasn't felt all that well lately."

"I understand, Kara," Lena says softly, reaching across the table to hold Kara's hand. "You suffered a great loss… it's normal to worry about the safety of your friends, especially since we aren't superheroes and there isn't a great deal we can do to protect them." The words are meant to soothe Kara, but her stomach drops; she is a superhero, and she still isn't good enough to protect everyone she loves. "If I weren't going to therapy, I don't know how I would've been able to function after what happened to Jack… My therapist helped me understand my feelings better, and she helped me accept things without feeling guilty about them. If you want, I can give you her number." 

Kara doesn't know why therapy has never felt like an option to her, but she tells herself she should ask J'onn if the DEO has a professional she could talk to. "Thank you, Lena," she replies with a small smile. "I'd appreciate that. And thank you for bringing me here, I-I didn't mean to scare you and kinda ditch work…"

Lena squeezes Kara's hand one more time before letting it go to take another sip of her tea. "Don't worry about work, Kara, your wellbeing comes first. And you didn't scare me, although, as your best friend, I might ask how you're feeling more often now." Lena says, raising her eyebrow and smirking.

Chuckling, Kara nods. "I think that's fair."

The rest of the day goes by fairly quickly, and a few blocks away from CatCo, Sam is going through her final reports of the day when Jess knocks on the door and announces that Alex Danvers is there to see her.

"Please, show her in, Jess," Sam says with a polite smile to her secretary.

Alex walks in, hands in her pockets, and she waits until Jess has closed the door behind her to greet Sam. "Hey," she says, the word coming out almost like a sigh.

"Hey…" By Alex's tone, Sam can tell Alex doesn't have good news for her. She stares at the agent for a few more seconds, before putting the report away, and standing up to pour them a glass of scotch. "Something tells me I'm gonna need this," Sam says loud enough for Alex to hear her from where she's standing. 

Alex is chewing on the inside of her cheek when Sam walks up to her to hand her a glass. "I wish I had better news, Sam. I really do…" Alex says, cradling the glass between both hands. "But the exam--"

"It showed I am Kryptonian, right?" Sam cuts her off, and Alex nods. Sam can't stop herself from mirroring Alex, nodding her head along, before downing her scotch in one gulp.

"Hey..." Alex steps forward, taking the glass away from Sam, and setting it down along with her own before she gently guides Sam toward the couch. "I know it's a shock, and I can't imagine what you must be feeling, but this can be a good thing, okay? This might mean that National City has a new hero, you could help keep us safe alongside Supergirl if that's what you want."

Alex's hopeful smile helps keep the tears threatening to spill from Sam's eyes at bay, and her words ignite something inside Sam's chest; maybe this isn't bad after all. Ruby wanted her to be a hero like Supergirl, and with these powers, she could keep her daughter safe. "Yeah…" she finally says, holding on to Alex's hand like a lifeline. "You're right," her voice comes out a little hoarse, and Sam needs to swallow the knot in her throat. "Th-This can be a good thing."

"Yes, we just need to find out more about how you arrived here," Alex says, holding Sam's hand with both of her own.

"I arranged everything with Jess; I'll be able to visit my mother tomorrow after I drop Ruby off at school."

"Did you talk to Lena too?" Alex asks both out of curiosity and to keep track of who knows what.

Sam shakes her head, "No, she's not scheduled to come by tomorrow. There's no business for her to attend to here, and she usually doesn't come by without calling first." Sam says, starting to feel calmer. "I'll let you know how it goes as soon as I come back to National City."

"About that…" Alex bites her lip, worrying about how Sam will react to her next few words. "J'onn has assigned me to go with you, not because we don't trust you, but since the DEO has learned about you, it is our duty to follow your situation… And if you mother knows where your pod is, we'll need to confiscate it. I promise it's for your own safety, Sam. We can compare the pod to Supergirl's and, with our technology, we can help you make sense of whatever we may find."

Suddenly it dawns on Sam that from the moment she walked into the DEO that morning, from that moment on she'll forever be under the government's eye. The thought bothers her and makes her feel uneasy. But Alex's words help her fight those feelings, and she tries her best to focus on the silver lining; she tells herself that Supergirl also works with the DEO and she seems happy with it. That alone should be reassuring enough.

"That's okay, Alex. That might be for the best, actually. I don't know what I would do if my mother was actually hiding a spaceship in her backyard." Sam laughs, shaking her head.

Smiling at Sam's seemingly easy acceptance of what she just told her, Alex says, "You'd be surprised with the things we find in people's backyard."

Sam laughs a bit more, but when her eyes fall on their intertwined hands, all sounds become muffled, and the only thing Sam can hear clearly is what she deduces to be Alex's heartbeat. It should scare her, it should put her off to be able to hear such a thing, but Sam closes her eyes, and her own heart seems to slow down to match Alex's. 

"Sam?" Alex calls, but it goes unanswered. It's not until the third try that Alex sees Sam's eyes snapping open.

"S-Sorry," Sam mutters, feeling her cheeks turning red.

"It's okay," Alex reassures her. "Were you… were you listening to something?" she tries to guess. "I've seen Supergirl do the same thing more than a few times," she says, chuckling.

"Um…" Sam searches Alex's eyes, and when she sees understanding being reflected in those warm, brown eyes, Sam says, "Yes. Y-Your heartbeat… Everything faded away, and it was all I could hear."

Alex chuckles again; she's lost count of how many times Kara has done that to her. "From what Supergirl tells me, that can actually be very calming." 

"It is." Sam smiles shyly, subconsciously rubbing her thumb against the back of Alex's hand.

The gesture is so spontaneous and sweet it catches Alex completely by surprise. She stands up abruptly, and she can feel her cheeks burning. "Uh… So… Tomorrow, should I meet you here so we can go?" 

Sam blinks at Alex's sudden movement, and she wonders for a second what had just happened, but she didn't have time to dwell on it before Alex asked her question. "Um, actually, if you hadn't shown up tonight, I was going to call you…" Sam fidgets with her watch as she gathers her courage, and asks, "Could you sleep over again tonight? I-I'm afraid I might have another nightmare and make the house catch on fire or something… I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I did anything that hurt Ruby."

And just like that, with that simple request, awkward Alex Danvers is gone, and confident Agent Danvers is back. "Of course," Alex replies with a sympathetic smile.

"Thank you," Sam sighs in relief, and gets up, "Let me just grab my things and we can go. Ruby will be thrilled to see you."

"Is it too dorky on my part that I'm proud she likes me?" Alex asks as she watches Sam gather her things.

Sam laughs bemusedly, "Are you kidding me? That's the only reason I'm keeping you around," she answers playfully, nodding toward the door so Alex will follow her out the office.

As she hears Alex laughing along with her, Sam feels a moment of confidence, a moment of calm. Maybe with Alex (and the DEO) by her side, everything will be okay, Sam thinks, feeling her heart swelling with hope.


	5. The Mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter, guys, strap in!
> 
> Plus, cute Supercorp moment ;)

"Ruby!" Sam calls out to her daughter as she walks into the house with Alex following right behind her.

"Yeah?" The answer comes from upstairs, and both Alex and Sam can hear a door opening, and Ruby's footsteps echoing through the house as she makes her way down the stairs. "Alex!!" she exclaims excitedly when she sees the agent standing next to her mom, and Ruby greets her with a tight hug. "Are you sleeping over again??"

"Hi to you too, munchkin." Sam chuckles, kissing the top of her daughter's head.

"Hi, mom," Ruby replies with a cheeky smile. "So, are you sleeping over?" she asks Alex again.

"Yes," Alex grins and nods, placing her hands on her hips. "I made you a promise last night, remember?"

The words make Ruby grin and nod enthusiastically, but Sam is lost. "Wait, what promise?"

Ruby is quiet for a second before she relents and says, "Alex promised she'd help you get better. You know, to try and make the nightmares stop."

"Oh, did she??" Sam smirks at Alex, but it quickly turns into a genuine smile, and once again Sam is filled with the sensation that everything will be okay; she managed being a teenage-mother all by herself, and now she has people by her side who will try their best to help her. Everything will be okay, Sam repeats to herself like a mantra.

"Mhm." Alex nods with a proud little smile tugging at the corner of her lips. This is what she's good at, being the protector, making sure those close to her are safe and sound. "I promised I'd do everything I could," she says looking at Sam's eye. "And I meant it."

"I know," Sam replies. She truly wants to believe it with every fiber of her being, but the betrayal she suffered from her mother has left Sam in a constant state of alertness; a deep-seeded belief that no matter how sweet people are toward her, when she needs them the most, they will turn around and leave her.

Sadness clouds her eyes for a moment, but Sam snaps out of it, mentally berating herself for letting her mother have such an effect on her. No, Sam tells herself, Alex is different. And even if she isn't, I'm not a kid anymore. I'm strong, I have Ruby, and I can deal with whatever comes my way.

"Mom?" Ruby's soft voice breaks Sam's haze. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Sam shakes her head as if it to clear her mind, and she smiles. "Yeah, I am, sweetie." Giving Ruby another kiss on the top of her head, Sam says, "How about we order pizza tonight, from that place you like?" 

"Yes!! Can we watch a movie after dinner?" Ruby asks, hopeful that her mother won't deny her this time.

"Is your homework done?" Sam checks.

"Yes, everything is done," Ruby says excitedly.

"Then okay," Sam concedes, grinning at her daughter's happiness.

"What kind of movies do you like, Alex?" Ruby asks curiously.

Before Alex can reply, Sam catches her eye with a silent motion that says she's just going to walk away to order the pizza. Nodding at Sam, Alex turns her attention back to Ruby who's now guiding her toward the living room. "We have a bunch of DVDs, but we also have Netflix and Hulu, and--oh!! We can also rent something on iTunes, right mom?" Ruby shouts the last few words so Sam will be able to hear her.

Alex is pretty sure Sam couldn't make out what Ruby asked her, but she still yells back, "Yeah!!" making Alex chuckle.

"Well, I like basically any kind of movie, except rom-coms, I find them a little bit boring," Alex explains, scrunching up her nose for emphasis.

"I agree," Ruby says without missing a beat. She pulls Alex down, so they are sitting side by side on the couch, and continues, "They have very stupid jokes, and it's always the same thing…"

"Well," Alex smiles, "What movie do you wanna watch?"

"Mm…" Ruby grabs the remote control and turns on the TV. "Let's see what the options are…"

It takes them a long time to settle on a movie, long enough for Sam to finish her call and join them on the couch. "So, did you choose a movie?" she asks, hugging her daughter and pulling her closer, so Ruby is leaning against her.

"Yes! We haven't watched Moana yet, and Alex says it's a good movie," Ruby replies, tilting her head up to look at her mom.

"Sounds good to me," Sam says, shrugging slightly because she has no idea what the movie is about, but she would watch anything her daughter chose. "The pizza should be here in thirty minutes. We can start watching the movie, and pause it when the pizza gets here."

"Can we eat while we watch it? Pleeeeease?" Ruby begs, making her mother chuckle.

Sharing a look with Alex, Sam sighs overdramatically, and says, "Fine, we can eat here."

Alex laughs, finding the mother-daughter dynamic completely adorable, and she thinks she is lucky to be there, witnessing it.

They start watching the movie, and about ten minutes in, Alex's cellphone starts ringing. "Sorry, I'll be right back, don't pause the movie," she says, standing up to go to the kitchen to answer the phone. "Hey, Kara. What's up?"

"Hey! Wanna have a sisters' night tonight??" Kara asks chirpily on the other end.

Alex worries her lip, knowing her answer will probably get Kara feeling down. "I'm sorry, I can't… I promised Sam I'd sleep over again tonight."

"Oh…" Kara is quiet for a few seconds; she doesn't want to be alone, and the thought of Alex -- her sister -- spending more time with Sam, who might potentially turn bad, leaves a bitter taste in her mouth. "…Are you into her or something?" Kara asks with a bit of a bite to her words.

"What? Kara! No…" Alex sighs, rubbing her forehead with her free hand. "She's… She's just afraid she will have another nightmare and accidentally hurt Ruby. You know how scary it can be to have powers you can't control," Alex says softly, but her voice doesn't leave room for too much argument.

Kara paces in her apartment; something in her gut tells her this isn't going to turn out okay, but she can't explain why she feels that way. Maybe it's the fact that most people who have entered her life in the last two years have either died or left her. Or maybe there's a part of Kara who feels jealous and threatened about a new Kryptonian showing up like this. What if she's a better hero than me? What if National City doesn't need me anymore? What if Lena stops seeing Supergirl as a friend and mentor? The voices in the back of her mind whisper to her.

Shaking her head, Kara forces a smile to her lips -- even though Alex can't see her -- and says, "Yes, sorry. I understand. Be careful, okay?"

Alex sighs in relief at Kara's seemingly acceptance of her reasoning, and she nods, "Always am. Goodnight, Kara. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See ya," Kara replies and hangs up. She stares at her empty apartment, and it's as if the emptiness resonates within her, making her ache.

Kara thinks about calling Winn or James, but they are probably busy fighting crime together. She can't hang out alone with Lena in her own apartment, because if an emergency occurs, she'll have to make up an excuse to leave.

That dreadful feeling of anxiety was starting to take hold of Kara when a thought crosses her mind; I can visit Lena as Supergirl, she thinks, getting up fast to change into her super-suit. That way neither of us will be alone tonight, and I don't need to lie…much…

It's not long before Kara is landing gracefully at the balcony at Cat's office -- Kara still has some difficulty thinking of it as James's office even it has been his for more than a year now -- and she thinks of how much she misses Ms. Grant.

"Good evening, Miss Luthor," Kara greets softly as she knocks on the glass so as not to startle Lena, who seems to be deeply concentrated on what she is reading. 

Lena's head snaps up, and she smiles at the sight of her favorite superhero. Lena gets up and goes over to the balcony to join Supergirl, "I thought we had agreed on you calling me Lena," she says with a teasing smile. 

Kara chuckles and nods, "Yes. Lena, it is." 

Leaning over the railing, Kara says looking over National City, "You're working late…"

"As usual," Lena scoffs playfully, mirroring the superhero's stance. She looks at Supergirl out of the corner of her eye, and asks, trying to sound nonchalant, "Is something bothering you?" 

The question catches Kara off guard, and she frowns as she turns to Lena, "Why?"

"Well," Lena tries and fails to hide her smirk, "You usually only visit me when my life is in danger -- not counting that one time Morgan Edge was being an ass to me -- and as far as I know, I'm not in any mortal danger. So," The smirk shifts into a soft smile, "Is there anything bothering you?" 

Kara regards Lena for a few seconds, weighing whether she should be truthful or not. Sighing, Kara nods, but she turns her gaze away from Lena.

"Okay…" Lena frowns, wondering what could be bothering the hero so much that she would come to her, but still feel reluctant to talk. "Is it something classified?"

Kara worries her bottom lip and nods again.

Sighing, Lena places a hand on Supergirl's shoulder, and says, "We can stay here in silence if you want."

Kara gives Lena a watery smile, feeling truly grateful to have such a good friend like her. "Thank you, Lena." she manages to say in a whisper.

They are quiet for a while, both women leaning against the railing, standing shoulder to shoulder. The silence isn't heavy, but Lena can feel Supergirl getting ready to either talk or leave. She knows the hero has come to a decision when she hears her asking lowly, "Do you have anyone in your life that you'd do anything to protect?" 

Lena only needs to think for a second before her mind is flooding with images of Kara. With a light blush, Lena nods. "Yeah."

"What if… What if that person was trying to help someone -- a third person--, but you could feel it in your gut that things won't turn out well? What would you do?" Supergirl seems anguished, and it's such a shocking thing to see -- a strong hero acting as broken as a mere human -- that it takes Lena a few moments to gather her thoughts. 

Her brows furrow in concentration, and she asks, "Can you prove things will turn out badly?" When Supergirl shakes her head in response, Lena sighs and says, "Then I guess all you can do is stand by your friend's side and be there to protect them however you can when things go down the wrong path."

It sounds rather obvious and simple, but something about hearing the words coming from someone as selfless as Lena put things into perspective for Kara, and she knows Lena is right; no matter what goes down, she will be there to protect Alex.

But what about Sam? Kara thinks, I need to protect her too… But how can I do anything if we have no idea what's going on?

"Supergirl!?"

Lena's surprised exclamation brings Kara back to reality, and she notices that she dented the railing by squeezing it too hard. "Sorry, Miss Luthor… I-I can pay for the damage," Kara says sheepishly.

Lena chuckles, and just waves off the offer. "It's okay, don't worry about it. But what got you so worked up?"

Supergirl rubs her face and paces around a little, making Lena think for a second that the scene looks rather familiar, but she turns her attention back to what the hero is saying. "May I ask you a… delicate question?"

Lena frowns, but curiosity gets the best of her, and she nods.

"If somehow, you were taken back to the past and you had a second chance to try and get to your brother, would you try harder to get through to him? Or… or would you just make contingency plans?"

It's Lena's turn to be taken aback by a question. If she didn't know Supergirl as well as she thought, Lena might think the hero was taking a jab at her, but she can tell by Supergirl's body-language that the answer is truly important to her. "I…" Lena trails off, because that's a question she needs to look deep within herself to answer. "I guess I'd have to say both." 

Kara can see sadness clouding Lena's eyes, and she mentally berates herself for making her friend feel that way, but she needs her help, so she listens attentively as Lena begins to explain herself.

"I mean, how could I not try to dissuade my brother from committing those atrocious acts? I'd do everything and more to get him to stay on a good path, but if I kept seeing the signs, if I kept seeing the red flags, then I'd do everything in my power to foil his plans…" Lena sighs, and looks down at the city for a few seconds before saying, "I think… once you've intentionally taken an innocent life… I think, once you've crossed that line, there's no turning back… I'd do anything to make sure Lex never crossed that line." 

Before she knows it, Lena is being turned around and engulfed by strong arms in a warm, tender hug. "I'm sorry, Lena… I wish I could make that happen for you."

Lena is stunned for a few seconds, but the words soothe her, and she tentatively hugs the hero back. "It's too late for Lex," she whispers around the knot that formed in her throat as tries not to cry, "but it doesn't sound like it's too late for the person you're worried about."

Kara pulls back and gives a slight nod. Fidgeting with her cape and letting her gaze fall to the ground, she says, "You're right. It's just… these past couple of years I lost a lot of people… Came close to losing many more… I guess it's all finally catching up with me… A-And lately it's been getting harder for me to stay positive…" Kara confesses feeling somewhat ashamed of herself; but at the same time, just by saying the words out loud, Kara feels an unbearable weight being lifted off her shoulders.

For the second time that night Lena is stunned into silence. Supergirl just admitted a flaw to her; a Super willingly revealed a weakness to a Luthor. All Lena can think is, She really trusts me. In her way, she really does trust me.

"It's okay to feel that way, I mean--" Lena closes her eyes and shakes her head slightly as if it would help her think of encouraging words. When she opens her eyes again, Lena gives Supergirl a sympathetic smile and tries again, "What I mean is, you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, and you've lost more than any human will ever understand. So it's okay if you can't always be positive. It's okay if you need those around you to give you strength and remind you why it is that you put on your suit and fight every day," Blushing, Lena tentatively steps closer to the hero, and continues, "I know you're not human, but you've been living among us for a long time, and what you are experiencing is very human. Just remember that there are people who are here for you if you need us, and there's nothing we would like more than to give you as much hope as you give us."

Lena's words are so enveloping; they are so entrancing, heartfelt, and honest that when Kara comes to her senses, she notices how elaborate her breathing is, how she can hear her own heart beating in her ear, and how lost she had gotten in Lena's clear, green eyes. Kara knows that those feelings mean something… Yes, she does, but… but she can't think about them. No! Kara thinks to herself, This is not the time to think about any of that. I'm just tired, and I'm being silly. Yes! That! Oh god, I've been silent for too long, I should say something. "Uh… Th-Thank you, Miss Luthor-- I mean, thank you, Lena. Y-You're very sweet…" Kara stutters out, starting to take steps backward to put a little distance between her and Lena. 

Lena frowns a little at the hero's sudden change in demeanor, but she chucks it out to Supergirl feeling embarrassed about exposing such a vulnerable side of herself -- and that's something Lena can understand.

Taking a deep breath, Kara gathers herself, and tries again, "Really, thank you for hearing me out, and thank you for the good advice, Lena. I'm really lucky to have you as a friend."

Smiling brightly, Lena shakes her head. "It's nothing. But I'm glad I could help."

Kara finds Lena's smile infectious, and she smiles back at her. "It's pretty late. Would you like me to fly you home?"

"Oh, no, no," Lena laughs, shaking her head again as she waves her hands. "I appreciate the offer, and I feel honored, really, but flying is only for absolutely necessary situations." When Lena is met with an adorable questioning gaze from the hero, she explains, "I'm terrified of flying."

"No way!! I didn't know that!!" Kara exclaims in surprise. But after it wears off, she smiles softly at Lena, and says, "Well… then I guess I should let you call your driver. Thank you again for all your help."

"Anytime, Supergirl."

Kara takes flight, but before she leaves, she uses her x-ray vision to make sure Lena is safe at CatCo. Once she's satisfied with her sweep, Kara flies off to patrol the city.

The rest of the night is fairly uneventful; Kara fights off some minor crimes, and Sam sleeps through the night without having any nightmares.

The next morning, at seven sharp, Alex is downstairs helping Sam with breakfast.

"Alex?" Sam calls, making Alex stop setting the table. "Could you check on Ruby while I finish making the pancakes, please?"

Alex finds Sam's little sheepish expression adorable, and nods. "Of course." She finishes setting the table quickly and runs upstairs.

"Ruby?" Alex knocks on the teenager's door. "Are you ready for school? Pancakes are almost done."

Ruby swings the door open, and smiles at Alex. "Ready."

Alex wraps an arm around the girl's shoulders, and they start making their way back to the kitchen.

"I didn't hear mom crying last night," Ruby remarks.

"I didn't either," Alex smiles at her. "I guess she finally got a good night of sleep."

"I'm happy," Ruby replies and falls quiet for a beat.

Before they can reach the kitchen, Ruby stops Alex, and says lowly, "Where are you and my mom going today?" At Alex's surprised expression, Ruby explains, "She told me I should go to my friend's house after school, because you two might not be back until then."

Alex swallows hard and quickly glances toward the kitchen before turning back to Ruby. "What did your mom tell you we're doing?" she asks, wanting to make sure she won't tell the teenager anything Sam doesn't want her to know.

Ruby rolls her eyes impatiently. "She told me you're going to visit my grandma, but I don't understand why. Mom hates grandma. I've never even met her…"

"I… I don't really know what happened between your mom and your grandma," Alex says, putting her hands inside her front pockets. "But we just want to talk to her. Maybe she can help us figure out why your mom is having these nightmares."

It didn't make much sense in Ruby's mind, she can't figure out how something that might have happened years ago might be affecting her mom now, but before she can question Alex further, she hears her mom calling her.

"Don't worry," Alex says with a smile, "Your mom will be okay. C'mon, let's eat."

In forty minutes, Sam and Alex are dropping Ruby off at school. "Ready to go?" Sam asks Alex once Ruby is safely inside the school.

"I just need to stop at my apartment real quick. I need to grab my gun; I left it at home when I went to see you yesterday," Alex explains. 

Chuckling, Sam says, "Well, I appreciate that." And she starts driving toward Alex's with her instructions.

In reality, Alex doesn't need to grab just her gun. She needs to grab the clip loaded with kryptonite bullets she has in her safe, but she doesn't want to tell Sam that; Alex doesn't want Sam thinking she sees her as a walking time-bomb, but Alex knows she needs a backup plan in case things go south. 

It only takes Alex a couple of minutes to place the clip in a lead case, and put it in one of her back pockets. She fastens her holster, and secures her gun. Alex makes sure she has her badge, and leaves her apartment.

"Got everything?" Sam asks when Alex enters the cars. 

Placing a hand on her gun, Alex smiles and says, "All here."

The trip goes by quickly, both women absorbed in their own thoughts; Sam is worried about what they might find out on top of the anxiety of seeing her mother again. Alex, on the other hand, isn't too worried about what they might learn, she's more concerned about how that will affect Sam.

Once they arrive, Alex can see how nervous Sam is by the way she keeps balling her hands into fists. 

Sam knocks on the door, and a minute later an older woman, elegant and healthy, answers it. "Samantha," The woman says with a polite smile even though she is surprised to see her daughter there. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Patricia," Sam greets dryly, "this is agent Alex Danvers, we need to ask you some questions."

"Hello, ma'am," Alex smiles, and shows the woman her fake FBI badge.

Patricia frowns, but she steps aside to let them inside the house. They sit in the living room, Alex staying close to Sam for emotional support.

Their host goes into the kitchen to get something to drink, and she comes back carrying a tray with a jug of iced tea. She pours them a glass each, and asks, "How's… um…" Patricia trails off, not being able to remember her own granddaughter's name.

"Ruby?" Sam completes her mother's question, anger clear in her voice.

"I've never met the girl, so I don't think you should expect me to keep her name straight," Patricia replies defensively.

"Well, you kicked me out for having her, I didn't think you'd wanna meet her," Sam says, trying to hide her resentment. 

But that finally lets Alex understand why Ruby has never met her grandmother, and why Sam doesn't talk to her mother. For all Eliza's flaws, Alex thinks that at least she wouldn't have kicked her out for getting pregnant… At least that's what Alex would like to believe.

"No, you made your choice. You had to know there would be consequences," Patricia says calmly, sitting on a chair in front of Sam and Alex.

"I was a kid," Sam counters.

"You know as well as anyone that the moment you become pregnant, you're not a kid anymore," Patricia doesn't even bat an eye saying those words, and Alex feels herself getting angry for Sam.

"So, I didn’t deserve a support system?" Sam asks with a bite to her words. "Married adults have children all the time, and they still need their parents."

"I would have just been a crutch for you," Patricia replies, getting up; getting disconcerted with this line of questioning.

"You were my mother," Sam says without missing a beat.

"And I always wanted what was best for you!"

"So you just let me leave?!" Sam gets up as well, feeling too angry to stay still.

Alex feels like she's intruding, like she shouldn't be there for that conversation; so she stays quiet, letting the two talk.

"That's not what I wanted to have happened at all," Patricia explains.

Alex watches as Sam exhales heavily, and asks, "Do you know how hard it was for me to come here?"

"Well, then why did you?"

"You're unbelievable," Sam scoffs, shaking her head, and Alex takes that as her cue to stand up, placing what she hopes is a soothing hand on the small of Sam's back.

Patricia looks uncomfortable with the small display of affection, and she eyes the two suspiciously, although she doesn't say anything.

Sam gives Alex a small, grateful smile, and sighs. "Some things have been happening," She says, turning her attention back to her mother.

"What things?" Patricia asks.

Sam shares a look with Alex, and at her friend's small nod, Sam continues, "I guess I was wondering if… growing up… I-I… if I ever did anything strange."

Alex doesn't feel the need to rush their conversation; she doesn't know if Patricia knows anything about Sam being an alien, maybe she thinks she truly adopted a human child, so Alex lets Sam take her time with her questions.

"What do you mean by strange?" Patricia asks confusedly.

"I don't know. Did I fall? Like, fall and not get hurt? Did I ever lift anything really heavy?"

"No, no. Nothing like that," Patricia replies, turning around and walking a bit further away from Sam.

"Nothing?" Sam insists.

"No," Patricia says, turning back around to look at her daughter.

Alex can tell Sam is growing frustrated, and she doesn't blame her.

"Okay, uh… Well, maybe you can help me find something out about my birth mother," Sam tries, changing her line of questioning.

"Why do you wanna know about her?" Patricia asks curiously.

"You know what?" Sam shares a look with Alex, and shakes her head. "Just forget it. Sorry I bothered you."

Alex is thinking of not-so-pleasant ways of getting every bit of information out of Patricia when she sees Sam taking a deep breath -- the kind of breath you take to fill yourself with courage -- and she hears Sam saying, "I was at a press event… Someone had a gun, they fired it at the crowd, a lot of people got hurt," Sam says, stepping up to her mother; it's a simple gesture, but it's one that speaks volumes, it lets Patricia know Sam is not leaving without answers.

"I got home, and I found a hole in my coat," Sam continues, placing her hand where the bullet had hit her. "I found a little piece of metal, a bullet; it was completely flattened. I got shot--" Sam's voice trembles and Patricia turns her gaze away. "and it didn't puncture my skin! I got shot, and I didn't feel it!" Sam's voice is getting louder, and Alex feels her own heart aching at the raw emotion in Sam's voice. "How could I not feel it? Patricia--" Sam says through gritted teeth, "Tell me what you know!"

Patricia looks from Sam to Alex, then back at her daughter. "Follow me."

Sam sighs with relief and waits until she feels Alex close to her so they can follow Patricia out of the house, to the backyard, and into a shed. 

The moment Alex's eyes lay on the massive item hidden under a tarp, Alex knows what it is. "Your pod," she whispers lowly to Sam, but Sam is too entranced to hear her.

Alex watches as Sam slowly steps closer to it, and tentatively reaches up to pull the tarp off, revealing her pod.

"You asked about your birth-mom, I lied. I didn't adopt you, I found you… in this," Patricia says lowly, motioning toward the ship.

Sam feels like she's in a trance, a dream. Even though she already knew from the exam's result that she is Kryptonian, the reality of it is finally hitting her as she stares in awe at the metal contraption. "I-I… I just… don't understand," she murmurs, shaking her head.

"I didn't understand it either," Patricia says, "I didn't know where you were from, or who left you in this thing, or why. And you just… y-you looked so damn helpless…" Patricia sighs, remembering the night she found Sam. With a small smile, she completes her sentence, "that I took you home."

Shaking her head as if the motion would help her accept everything she was hearing, Sam asks, "W-Were you ever gonna tell me?"

"I swore that I would tell you when you turned eighteen, but you were gone by then," Patricia replies promptly. "And I thought, well, maybe… maybe that's better. That you'd be better off, out there on your own, not knowing." 

"That I'm an alien?" Sam asks incredulously.

"Sam…" Patricia sighs. "I just wanted you to have a normal life," she says shakily.

When Alex sees Sam turning her attention back to the ship, watching as it comes to life with Sam's touch, Alex quietly and discreetly changes the clip of her gun for the one filled with kryptonite just in case the ship does something to Sam. But to her relief, the only thing that happens is a key making itself known to Sam.

"Ma'am," Alex says, getting Patricia's attention. "I'm going to report back to my superior officer, and he'll arrange for the Bureau to come confiscate the ship."

"You can't do that," Patricia tries to argue, "It's mine."

Alex raises her hand and shakes her head. "Technically, it's Sam's, and she has agreed to that."

When she hears her name, Sam snaps out of her haze. She grabs the key and goes back to standing by Alex's side. "You heard her, Patricia. They'll need to take it with them," Sam nods to Alex, and Alex walks out of the shed to call the DEO. Once they are alone, Sam folds her arms in front of her chest in a protective manner, and says, "I guess it's better to learn the truth late than ever…" And letting her eyes fall to the ground, Sam adds lowly, "Thanks for keeping it all these years."

She doesn't wait to hear her mother's reply; Sam feels like her head is spinning, and she all but runs toward her car. When Alex joins her, she says, "We need to figure out what this is." And before Alex has a chance of saying anything, Sam turns the car keys, and they are driving off.

"Sam?" Alex asks worriedly. "Where are we going?"

"I… I-I don't know…" Sam frowns at her own answer, but she can feel the key speaking to her; she knows she must drive now. "It's… It's telling me where to go."

Alex sends a quick message to Winn, telling him to track her phone, and she takes a deep breath to steady herself; whatever they come across next, Alex will be ready to deal with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think? It means the world when you leave comments, so please, never feel embarrassed to comment, even if it's just a smiley face XD
> 
> Come talk to me on tumblr @kara-danvers-lena-luthor ^^
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	6. The Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to my beta @lena-lipbite-luthor (on tumblr) <3

A discreet glance at her watch tells Alex they have been driving for almost three hours; they left the road, and during the last two hours they have been driving seemingly aimlessly, going further and further out into the desert. Alex tried to make conversation with Sam, she tried to get her to describe what she was feeling, but all she got in response was the frantic repetition that she doesn't know, that the key is telling Sam where to go.

It's not until the car runs out of gas that they come to a stop.

Alex watches Sam grab the key, and as if in a trance, Sam gets out of the car and slowly walks forward looking out towards the desert.

"Sam?" Alex calls after her friend, "What does it want you to do now?"

Sam doesn't need to answer as both women see the key starting to slowly pulsate a blue light.

"I guess we're going the right way…" Alex mutters to herself as she continues to follow Sam.

She stops trying to keep track of time, but Alex knows by the way the muscles in her legs burn when they come to a stop that they must have walked for a pretty long time _. What now?_ She thinks to herself, not bothering to ask Sam anything.

Alex watches Sam look around, the key shining intensively in her hand, and before they know it the ground starts to shake, making it impossible for them to stand on their feet.

With mouths agape, Alex and Sam watch as a fortress rises from the earth, towering menacingly in front of them.

"W-What _is_ that?" Sam asks incredulously as she gets back on her feet; her eyes never straying from the structure.

"That's…" Alex's voice fails her as a thousand thoughts run through her head _. Why does Sam have a fortress? Why didn't Kara get one of her own? Why did the key choose this location??_ Before she can voice any of those questions, Alex realizes that Sam is moving toward the entrance, and she rushes to catch up to her.

The inside of Sam's fortress is somewhat familiar to Alex, but at the same time, everything looks entirely foreign without the light shining inside through the ice beams like in Superman's fortress, which gives the place an eerie feel.

When they reach the main hall, they see the familiar diamond-shaped crest, but instead of the House of El's 'El Mayarah' symbol, it is adorned with a skull.

Alex feels a chill going down her spine, and her gut tells her nothing good can come from that symbol, but they need to learn more information, so there's no turning around and leaving.

With Alex by her side, Sam circles around the crest and finds what seems to be a dashboard. Instinctively, she knows the key goes in the middle of it, and as soon as she places it there, the key lights up bringing the dashboard to life.

Alex is trying to use her limited knowledge of Kryptonian to decipher what the controls are when she notices Sam staring at something; better yet, at someone.

The woman, dressed entirely in black, and with her face half covered by a veil, is standing across from them, looking solely at Sam.

"You've come," The mystery figure says, and both women go back to standing in front of the crest to be closer to the projection. "I imagine you have questions. I have answers."

To Alex's surprise, Sam takes a few steps closer, saying, "I-I've seen you… in my dreams. _What_ are you?" she breathes out the question.

"Science, magic, information." The woman smirks. "Your _friend_."

That makes Alex take hold of Sam's arm, whispering to her, "Don't believe everything it tells you."

But the woman chuckles mirthlessly, and says, "Don't believe everything humans say either."

Sam appreciates Alex trying to look out for her, but this place is hers; it was built for Sam, and she needs to learn everything she can. "What _is_ this place?"

As if uninterrupted by Alex, the woman replies, "This is your Fortress of Sanctuary. A piece of your world, the dead planet Krypton."

Sam already knows she's from another world, but to have this being affirming it to her that she is really from the same planet as Supergirl, still makes Sam lose her breath. "I-I always felt different," she says, glancing at Alex, "but I-I thought it was because I'm adopted. It wasn't." Breathing out heavily, Sam says with the most adorable hopeful smile, "I _am_ like Supergirl."

Alex can't help but smile back at her friend, but it's short-lived because the woman in black is speaking once more, "You're so much more than that."

The woman's tone doesn't wipe Sam's smile away as it does Alex's. Still hoping that her future holds nothing but greatness, Sam asks eagerly, "Who am I?"

"You're a culmination of centuries of work. A being designed for one purpose… to execute justice."

The word choice sends another chill down Alex's spine, and it hurts her to see how hopeful Sam is when she asks, "I'm a hero??"

Even in their wildest dreams, neither woman could have anticipated the words that followed. "They will not call you a hero. They will call you 'Worldkiller.' They will try to contain your power, but they will fail. You will show no mercy to those who oppose you. Your justice will burn the world of men."

Alex bites her lip, feeling her heart ache as she sees the fire that burned brightly in Sam's eyes slowly being extinguished by those words. "N-No…" Sam says, starting to pace around. "I'm not--" Sam takes a stumbling step backward, and she can feel the tears stinging her eyes before she finally manages to breathe out the words, "a world-killer. I'm not-- I'm not a world-killer, I- have a life! I've--" Sam resumes pacing around, trying her hardest to comprehend how things turned out this way. _It can't be true,_ she thinks, _it just can't be!_ "I-I'm a good person; I have a _daughter_!"

"Your offspring was an unfortunate error. Your powers were supposed to manifest when you came of age. She delayed the realization of your destiny." The projection says unfazed.

"She was _not_ an error!" Sam shoots back, her hands balling into fists.

Noticing how angry Sam is getting, Alex steps in front of her protectively and says in her commanding voice. "Enough."

"I do not respond to you, human," the woman replies calmly, and turning her attention back to Sam, she continues, "You will soon forget your offspring. You will soon forget _all_ mortal trappings."

"No…" Sam whispers shakily, making Alex turn around. "A-Alex, this can't be right," she says, grasping desperately at her friend.

"It is time for you to emerge." They hear the woman saying, but Alex tries to ignore her.

"I'll get you out of here," Alex tells Sam, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, but before they can take a step toward the exit, they hear the woman speaking again.

"It is time for you to become… Reign."

And as if a switch was flipped, Alex feels Sam's body going rigid and it looks like she can't breathe. "Sam? Sam?? What's happening?" Alex asks desperately, but Sam can't speak.

Sam feels as if her skin is on fire, making her claw at her clothes, but it doesn't help; the pain doesn't ease up. No, instead, a sharp pain shoots up her brain, and a scream tears her throat.

"Sam, please…" Alex begs, holding her friend tighter, watching helplessly as Sam grabs her head. They sink to the ground together, Sam's painful sobs echoing deep within Alex, making her heart break.

But with one last scream, Sam starts to calm down, and Alex is hopeful that her friend was able to fight whatever was happening to her. "Sam, are you okay?" There's no reply. Sam simply catches her breath, and as if she isn't feeling Alex's arms around her, she stands up slowly. "S-Sam?" Alex tries again, but she can see by the way Sam's expression has changed that her friend isn't there anymore.

And then the warm brown eyes that Alex has grown fond of suddenly turn red, and she hears the shell towering over her say in Kryptonian, "I have awoken."

The next few seconds feel like a blur to Alex; the memory of Ruby begging her to help her mother crosses her mind and Alex tears herself apart for failing both Ruby and Sam. She moves her hand and grabs her gun without even realizing she's doing so, and before she knows it, Alex is pointing her gun straight at Sam's heart. "Sam, please…" she begs again through gritted teeth. " _PLEASE, SNAP OUT OF IT!_ "

Sam doesn't even glance at Alex, who's stumbling up to her feet, but the woman in black laughs darkly, and says in Kryptonian, "She's standing in your way. Kill her."

When Sam turns her head toward Alex, Alex hisses out, "Please, Sam, don't make me do this…"

The projection laughs again, "Stupid humans, they think they can stop you. You will teach them better."

As if time slowed down, Alex sees Sam starting to swing into motion, and another memory flashes in the agent's mind; she sees Astra standing over J'onn, she remembers plunging the kryptonite sword through her body, she remembers Kara's pain as she watched her aunt die in her arms. Once again Alex is put in the position to take a life, but this time it's different; this time _she's_ different. This time she owes it to herself to do better, to _be_ better.

Sliding her finger to the trigger, Alex pulls it, and all at once the woman in black screams and Sam falls to her knees.

The red eyes turn back to warm brown ones, and Sam touches her chest. "A-Alex…" she gasps out when she sees the blood in her hand. "T-Tell Ruby… tell h-her I love her." Sam smiles; a tear rolls down her cheek before her eyes roll back, and her body falls with a thud on the ground.

"You're _not_ dying today, Sam," Alex says, rushing over to her fallen friend, gathering her in her arms. "I'm sorry I had to do this, but you're going to be okay, I promise."

Alex looks up to see if the woman in black is still watching her, but the projection has vanished. Taking advantage of that, Alex grabs her phone and taps on Winn's name.

"Alex!" He answers almost immediately, and as soon as the name leaves his mouth, J'onn is by his side. "What happened? What's going on?"

"Winn, I need you to listen to me," Alex says hurriedly. "I need you to send the closest medical helicopter we have to my location, and a team to secure this area." Pausing for a second, Alex takes a deep and adds, "I had to shoot Sam… but I aimed high, closer to her shoulder than her heart. Quick Winn, I don't know how long she'll hold on with the bullet lodged inside her!"

As Alex spoke, Winn typed all the correct commands into his computer to send the nearest team to Alex. "The helicopter will be there in five," he informs her.

"Good. And Winn," Alex pauses to make sure she has his attention. "Don't tell Kara anything yet."

Winn shares a worried glance with J'onn, but he nods and says, "O-okay. I won't."

Within two hours, they are back at the DEO and Sam undergoes surgery to have the kryptonite bullet removed from her shoulder, but instead of placing her on the sun bed like they would have done to help Kara heal, Sam is placed in a holding cell.

J'onn tries to pry Alex away from the cell to debrief her, but she refuses to budge, telling him everything he needs to know standing right there in front of the glass door.

"Just like that?" J'onn asks; arms crossed over his chest, facing the cell, mirroring Alex's stance perfectly. "The projection said, 'it's time for you to become Reign,' and something switched in her brain?"

Alex simply nods, and for a few seconds, it's all the response J'onn gets. "Yes… Um," Alex blinks, and her brows furrow as she forces herself to remember the events as they actually happened. "When the pain stopped, and she stood up, her eyes turned red, and she spoke in Kryptonian. I believe she said, 'I have awoken.'"

"It sounds like she was programmed to act like a sleeper-agent," J'onn comments as he searches his brain for a way to try and help Sam. "Do you think Samantha Arias is gone forever?"

Alex shakes her head immediately, "No, no! After I… after I shot her, I think the pain and the shock woke her up or pushed Reign to the back of her mind. She -- Sam -- spoke to me. She asked me to tell Ruby she loves her…"

"You did what you had to do, Alex," J'onn says softly, placing a comforting hand on his protégée's shoulder. "And now that we know Sam is still in there, we will find a way to keep Reign locked. Better yet, we'll figure out how to erase her from Sam's mind altogether."

"Thank you, J'onn." Alex says, grateful to have her mentor and father-figure there to ease the weight she feels on her conscience; and even though she doesn't feel as optimistic as he does, Alex gives J'onn a small smile and nods, "We will."

Once J'onn leaves her, Alex sinks to the floor feeling emotionally exhausted. She rested her head on her hands, and she must have dozed off while waiting for Sam to wake up because the next thing Alex knows she's awakening to a loud gasp.

Inside the cell, Sam wakes with a startle; her hand going instinctively to her wounded shoulder at the same time as she sits up in the bunker. The sudden movement makes her head swim, and Sam is forced to blink hard a few times before her vision adjusts to the bright lights of the containment unit.

"Sam?" She hears her name being called, and it takes a second for her eyes to find Alex who's kneeling on the ground, both hands on what looks like a glass door, a confused, and yet hopeful expression twisting her features.

"Alex?" Sam calls out, and her voice comes out rougher than she anticipated. She clears her throat, and tries again, "W-Where am I? What… what happened?" Sam asks, getting up to have a better look at the room she has found herself in.

"You… you don't remember?" Alex feels her stomach twisting in a knot; _of course I'll have to tell Sam I shot her_ , she thinks. _Not only did I come close to killing a friend, but I'll also have to look into her eye and tell her what I did…_

"No…" Sam shakes her head, oblivious to the painful thoughts going through Alex's mind. "I-I remember driving into the desert…" she trails off; brows furrowing as she tries her best to piece together this apparent time lapse. "Th-The next thing I remember is feeling pain in my shoulder, seeing blood on my hand, and feeling very sick…" Saying that Sam checks her shoulder, and notices there's nothing there, not even a scar. "Did I… Did I imagine that?" she asks Alex worriedly.

Getting up from the floor, Alex protectively hugs her waist, mentally preparing for Sam to lash out at her when she finally learns the truth about everything that happened, and how Alex failed to protect her. "You don't remember the fortress or that… that _witch_ that talked to us?"

"Fortress? _Witch_?" Sam frowns. "Alex, I don't understand. Wh-What's going on?" The lack of memory, the uncertainty about what happened, the fear that she's losing her mind, and the fact that she's locked in a room in a government facility make Sam's voice break, and her eyes well up with tears. "Please," she begs quietly, "please… tell me what happened to me."

Alex rubs her face and takes a deep breath. "Do you remember finding a key on your pod?" she asks softly.

It takes her a second, but Sam remembers it; she remembers the whole conversation with her mother and driving out into the desert because the key wanted her to go that way. "Y-Yeah… It wanted me…" she trails off trying to remember it. "It wanted me to find the right place…"

Alex nods, "Yeah, the key wanted you to find a good place so it could build you a fortress. A giant structure rose from the ground right before our eyes."

Sam blinks, and tears run down her cheeks. "I-I don't-- I don't remember that," She tries to dry her eyes, and she hugs herself protectively. "What-- um," Sam swallows hard, and tries to sound confident, but it's clear as day that she is scared. "What else happened?"

Alex's bites the inside of her cheek, and forces herself to continue, "We went inside the fortress, and a woman dressed in black showed up. It was a hologram projection, but you said you had seen her in your dreams. She… She told us you were… _created_ in Krypton…"

"Created?" Sam asks confusedly. "You mean born, I was _born_ in Krypton."

Biting her lip, Alex shakes her head, letting her gaze drop to the floor. "No… I mean created…" Alex shakes her head again, and squaring her shoulders she looks Sam in the eye. "As a weapon of mass destruction. A world-killer." There's a second of silence, a second of fear, before Alex adds, "She called you Reign."

Much like earlier in the day, Sam finds herself speechless feeling her entire world crashing and burning around her. Fresh tears make her eyes burn, and she brings her hands to her eyes as if she closed them and wished hard enough, she would wake up from this nightmare.

Noticing that the word alone didn't trigger Sam into turning into Reign, Alex decides to get the rest of the story out, ripping the proverbial band-aid all at once. "When the hologram called you Reign, it triggered something inside you; your eyes turned red, and you spoke in Kryptonian… The hologram told you to kill me, and… and you were going to follow through with it, but I… I-I shot you with a special type of bullet. I didn't mean to hurt you, Sam, but I had to protect you… I'm s-sorry I failed you."

Sam can't believe anything she's hearing, and yet she's painfully aware that it's all true. She turns her back to Alex so she can have some semblance of privacy, and Sam lets herself break down; she lets herself cry and sob quietly --, and Alex can tell what's going on by the way her body shakes slightly.

As Alex is thinking of telling her that J'onn is optimistic in finding a 'cure,' she hears Sam speak brokenly, making all thoughts leave her head. "S-So this is my life now, right? I'm a-- I'm a prisoner, aren't I?" Sam turns around to face Alex once more, and for the first time, Alex sees anger in Sam's eyes.

Taking a few steps closer to the door, so she's standing as close to Alex as possible, Sam asks, "Will I… will I ever see my daughter again?"

Alex instinctively tries to reach for Sam to comfort her, but the reality of the situation crashes down on her once more when Alex's hand come in contact with cold glass instead of the warmth of Sam's skin. "You're not our prisoner, Sam," Alex says softly. "You haven't committed any crime, so we cannot hold you here against your will…"

"But you'd like to, because you know I'm a ticking time bomb, and you don't know when I'll be set off," Sam scoffs, shaking her head incredulously.

"Sam… I…" Alex hangs her head, words escaping her. "I failed you… I failed Ruby…" she says, lifting her head once more to look at Sam. "But if my word still means anything to you, I promise we'll do everything we can to fix things."

At the mention of her daughter's name, Sam succumbs to her knees and sobs; the idea of leaving her daughter all alone in the world breaks her heart, but an even worse idea crosses her mind, and she looks up at Alex with desperation in her eyes. "Promise me," she says shakily around the knot in her throat; and at her words, Alex kneels in front of her to give Sam her full attention. "P-Promise me that if I… if I turn into that _thing,_ you won't let me… _kill_ anyone. Alex, please, promise me, I-I can't have Ruby living her life alone, carrying the shame of being a murderous alien's daughter. I-I won't do that to her. Please, Alex, promise me! Promise y-you'll put an end to… _things_ if you can't contain me."

From the moment J'onn recruited her, Alex knew there were going to be tough moments on this job; she knew she would have to constantly put her life on the line, and sometimes even convince others to do the same. But they _never_ prepare you for the day where you might have to take the life of a friend. Biting the inside of her cheek with enough force to draw blood, Alex squares her shoulders once more, and like the exceptional soldier that she is, she accepts the task -- the burden -- of what Sam had just asked her. "I promise," she says as steadily as she can.

"Th-Thank you." Sam whimpers, doing her best to dry her tears.

Alex has to fight the urge to open the cell and hold Sam in her arms; besides J'onn, she had never had a friend behind those metaphorical bars, and it hurt her not being able to do more to soothe Sam's pain. She's starting to spiral inside her own mind when Alex hears Sam speaking again.

"R-Ruby… she's supposed to sleep at a friend's tonight, b-but I need to make other arrangements for her if I'm going to be here for, um…" Sam drops her gaze, "for a long time."

"She can stay with me," Alex offers promptly without a second thought -- and without thinking it through.

Sam sniffles and looks up, taken completely by surprise by the offer.

"I-I mean," Alex blinks, being surprised, herself. "If there isn't anyone else who you'd rather look after her, I-I'd be happy to spend time with her."

In all honesty, there isn't anyone else, and Sam would much rather have Ruby stay with Alex, whom she knows will do her best to look after her daughter, and whom she knows Ruby likes than send her away to stay with Patricia. "Th-That means the world to me, Alex. Thank you."

Alex shakes her head smiling softly at Sam. "It's the least I can do. Besides, you know how much I like Ruby."

"And she likes you." Sam gives Alex a watery smile. "C-Can I call her school tomorrow morning to let them know you're going to be responsible for her?" she asks, uncertain of what the rules are.

"Of course," Alex says promptly. "I told you, you're not our prisoner."

Sam looks around the cell, and mutters under her breath, "You could have fooled me…" However, it's loud enough for Alex to hear her, and they fall silent once more.

Shifting so she's hugging her bent knees to her chest, Sam asks after a few seconds, "What about my job? What should I tell Lena?"

"That's…" Alex frowns, "that's a good question. How about you rest for the rest of the day, and I talk to J'onn about it? I'm certain we will come up with a good plan."

Sam feels like she has no other option than to agree to it, so she forces a smile onto her lips and nods. "Sounds good," she says, hoping it sounds hopeful enough.

It doesn't, and it breaks Alex on the inside, but she also feels the need to put on a hopeful façade for Sam's benefit. "Great," she says with a practiced smile. "I'll come back in an hour to check up on you, but if you need anything before then, I left a radio comm on the bed. It's already on the right channel, just press the button and you'll reach me, okay?" Sam nods, and Alex gets up to find J'onn. 

Sam watches Alex leave, wondering if she will ever walk out of this cell _. God_ , she thinks, scooting away from the door to hide in the corner of the room _. What if… what if Reign takes over my mind? What if_ she _gets to leave this place, but I don't?_ The thought paralyzes Sam as much as it fuels her with determination to not let that evil being take over her mind. Hugging her knees even tighter, Sam closes her eyes and rests her head on her knees thinking as she cries quietly, _Please god, let me be strong enough to fight her._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, don't be mad at me XD 
> 
> Of course Sam had to turn into Reign, guys!!! that's the whole premise of the season!!!! XD But don't worry, I plan on writing something enjoyable (so no deaths, I promise!)
> 
> Also, THANK YOU for all the comments, they mean more than you know! And whenever one of you say my story is better than the show, or that you're enjoying it more than the show, just, wow! It blows my mind and it makes my day.
> 
> Sooo if you liked this chapter, please consider leaving a comment (even a smiley face is appreciated, or if you've already left kuddos and don't know what to write on a review, you can write 'leaving more kuddos' and I guarantee you it will make me smile x.x)
> 
> Or if you'd prefer, come talk to me on tumblr @kara-danvers-lena-luthor.


	7. Let The Chips Fall Where They May

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update this story, but I had to take some time to process the hot mess that was the end of season 3.
> 
> A big thank you to my girl, @lena-lipbite-luthor (on tumblr) for being my beta.
> 
> And if you're still excited to read this story, thaaaank you, and welcome back! 
> 
> Just one note: this chapter starts with Mon-El, but just bear with me; I promise you, Kara will NOT be pining over him, and Lena will help her realize a lot of things ;) 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

"Hey," his voice reaches Kara, but she's so lost in her thoughts that it takes her a second to reply. 

"Mon-El, hey…" she says with a bit of a forced smile. It hurts to see him. Knowing she worried herself sick wondering if she had condemned him to a lonely and cold death in space, only to have him come back six years wiser, the man she wishes he had been all along, now married to someone else; someone Kara can't even bring herself to dislike, because Imra is genuinely a nice person. 

Mon-El averts his eyes from Kara, not being able to handle the hurt expression on her face; but he refuses to leave, wanting to at least be Kara's friend, to show her that he cares deeply for her. Leaning against the door, and mirroring Kara's stance he follows her line of sight. " _Who is_ that?" he asks, nodding towards Sam. 

Kara has been observing Sam through a glass on the door to the containment units, watching her from a safe distance; a spot she is sure Sam can't see _her_. "That's…" Kara trails off, thinking,  _Who_ is _that now?_  "That's L-Corp's new CEO, Samantha Arias, she's…" Kara takes a deep breath, "we just found out she's Kryptonian." 

"Ah!" Mon-El smiles, misreading the situation, "so you're keeping her there like you did with me? Just to make sure she's good?" 

Kara missed this; she missed how even though Mon-El came from a  _terrible_ planet, and an even  _worse_ family, he still managed to be so naïve at times. Kara gives him a genuine smile, but then the reality of her answer dawns on her, and she stares back at Sam. "It's…more complicated than that." 

"What do you mean?" Mon-El asks curiously; his furrowed eyebrows showing he is paying close attention to Kara. 

" _Sam_ is a good woman. She was raised on Earth since she was a baby, like Kal-El. She has a daughter…" Kara starts explaining, "her powers didn't start manifesting until recently, and yesterday we found out why… She--" Kara sighs, shaking her head, unable and unwilling to understand _why_ the council in Krypton would want to create something like Reign. "She was created to become a world-killer, but I think she had to be triggered, like a sleeper-agent -- you know, like those spy movies we used to watch." When Mon-El nods in understanding, Kara continues, "She was triggered yesterday, but Alex shot her with a kryptonite bullet. We think the shock snapped Sam back into the forefront of her mind, but we don't know what will make Reign reappear…" 

"Ah…" There isn't much more Mon-El can say, and it makes him feel terrible for not knowing how to help Kara out. "Have you asked Alura's A.I. about this world-killer project?" 

Kara nods, sighing sadly. "According to her, there's no record, no mention, no nothing about a project like this." 

Mon-El nods, thinking over everything Kara just told him. "How was she triggered?" 

"Apparently Sam has a fortress, like Kal. Alex went there with Sam and a projection of… I don't know, just a woman, I guess…" Kara frowns, "anyway, this woman told Sam that soon she would forget everything, and it was time for her to reign. Alex said that just like that, a switch was flipped inside Sam's mind, and she was speaking Kryptonian and was ready to kill." 

His frown deepens, and Mon-El scratches the back of his head. "Have you tried going there yourself? Whatever is there you should be able to access her database and read everything, right?" 

Kara tilts her head to the side, and says, "Why didn't  _I_  think of that??" 

Mon-El chuckles, "Always glad to help. If there's anything Imra or I can do, just let us know, I know Imra would love to fight by your side. You're her idol." 

Kara laughs awkwardly, fidgeting with her cape in response. "R-Right… I'll let you guys know. Th-Thank you." Kara points toward the DEO balcony and says, "I should um… get to work. My boss is my friend, b-but I shouldn't take advantage of that, right?" With another nervous laugh, Kara starts making her way out of the building. 

On the other side of the DEO, Alex and J'onn are going over the plan they came up with the previous night. 

"Are you sure about this, Alex?" J'onn asks; arms crossed, eyes attentive on the agent he came to care for deeply. 

"No," Alex replies honestly. "But what other option do we have? Let her rot here?" she asks rhetorically, shaking her head. 

"We  _could_ keep her here a while longer; it's only been one day," J'onn counters. 

Alex hugs her midsection, brows furrowing in concern. She tries to gather and organize her thoughts to explain herself to J'onn, but he places a calming hand on her shoulder, making Alex look up at him with a questioning gaze. 

"I know you're worried for Sam; I know you want this solved as soon as possible so Sam can go back to Ruby -- I _understand_ , Alex, I want the same; we all do." Sighing, J'onn lets go of Alex and closes his eyes to think for a second. When he opens them again, he relents, "I think it's a dangerous plan, to just let her walk free, but it's the best one we've got for now. We’ll monitor her to learn what triggers Reign and how she acts." Giving Alex a small, empathetic smile, he says, "Go tell Sam the news." 

"Thank you, J'onn." Alex smiles back, giving him a respectful nod before turning around and heading toward Sam's cell. 

When Kara arrived at work, all she wanted was a couple of minutes to regroup herself so she could start her workday well, but life doesn't give Kara Zor-El nor Kara Danvers any break. "Don't get me wrong," Kara hears Lena's soft voice, and even before she can see her, Kara knows Lena has that little smile on her face -- the one she usually has before Lena teases her -- and instinctively, Kara smiles back. "You look a little tired. Which, come to think of it, is not very usual for you," Lena grins, leaning against Kara's desk.  

"Morning, boss," Kara chuckles, leaning back in her chair. "You, on the other hand," she says, motioning to Lena's outfit, "look great as always." 

Lena raises her eyebrow and smirks, "don't think flattery will make me forget what I was talking about, Ms. Danvers."  

"Darn," Kara clicks her tongue and tries to look disappointed, but Lena's bemused smile makes her laugh. 

"Now,  _that's_  a much better look on you," Lena says sincerely. She has always loved the sound of Kara's laughter; it's the kind of laughter that is so genuine and pure it becomes contagious, and before Lena knows it, she smiling brightly. 

When Kara's laughter dies down, and both are left looking at one another, Lena tilts her head slightly and asks softly, "But seriously, Kara, are you okay? I told you I was going to ask you that more often." 

Kara opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out; she can't bring herself to tell Lena yet another lie. Sighing, Kara fixes her glasses and asks, "I'm not supposed to clock in for another ten minutes, do you want to grab a cup of coffee from the street-cart?" 

"Of course," Lena smiles and stands up straight. 

Once they have their coffee, Kara starts walking aimlessly, and Lena simply follows, because she knows being in motion is good if someone is feeling anxious; so Lena waits patiently for Kara to speak. 

"So, um…" Kara starts without looking at Lena, "a couple of weeks ago, Supergirl told me Mon-El is back on Earth-- well, he's back here, in National City." 

"What?? How??" Lena asks surprised, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.  

"It's a complicated story, but basically his ship went through a wormhole, and he ended up in the future. He is able to breathe the air, because four-hundred years from now, L-Corp will develop a cure for lead poisoning--" 

"Wait," Lena places a hand on Kara's arm to get her to stop walking and look at her. "Y-You're telling me my company will still be around in four-hundred years, and that it'll still be working to better the world??" 

The happiness in Lena's eyes makes Kara's heart beat a little faster, and she has to bite her lip to keep herself from smiling as big as Lena is smiling. "Yeah," Kara nods, "see? You're doing an amazing job, and I know you'll continue down this great path." 

Lena is beaming, but she quickly shakes her head and apologizes, "Sorry, I'm being rude. You were talking about Mon-El, please, continue." 

Kara chuckles and waves off Lena's apology, saying, "It's okay, don't worry about it. But yeah," she shrugs, "Mon-El is back, and for him, it hasn't been six months since he left, it's been six years. Not only that, he is…married now…" 

Lena frowns again, and she opens her mouth several times trying to say something, but she's at a loss. 

"And not only he's married, but his wife is also here, and she's too pretty and nice for me to hate her," Kara says with a pout, causing Lena to smile adoringly. 

"Well," Lena says with a charming smile, "I doubt she's half as pretty or half as nice as you, so it's his loss." At her friend's words, Kara can't help but laugh and shake her head good-naturedly. "But," Lena sighs softly, "how are you feeling about all that?" 

Kara fixes her glasses and shrugs. "I don't know; I don't know…" It's clear to Lena that Mon-El's return and the  _circumstances_  of his return are only piling up and adding more pressure onto Kara, but Lena needs her friend to talk to her so she can try to find a way to help. "When I first saw him, I thought I'd be able to stop mourning, you know?" Kara says, "but now it's just a different kind of mourning, and it's so weird because he's _here,_ " she sighs exasperatedly, throwing her free hand up in the air. 

"Kara," Lena says softly, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. When Kara looks at her, Lena continues, "I think the best thing for you to do right now is to try and find the positive side of things." 

"Positive side?" Kara asks confusedly. 

"Yes. You were sad because you thought you had lost him forever, that he had died alone in the cold vastness of space, but Supergirl  _saved_  his life. He's alive and happy, and now instead of mourning a person, you have to figure how to move on from a break-up." Lena holds her hand up and continues in a rush, "I know, I know, it doesn't sound much better, but when we love someone we want them to be happy even if that means their being happy with someone else, right?" 

Kara stares deeply into Lena's eye, and for a fleeting second she wonders if Lena has had to tell herself that very same thing, but the thought vanishes as Kara reminds herself that Lena is expecting an answer. "I-I guess…" sighing, Kara says with more conviction, "you're right. And it might not sound much better, but I think it actually makes things a little easier. Thank you, Lena."  

"Don't mention it," Lena grins, "that's what friends are for." 

"Still," Kara mirrors Lena's smile, "I'm gonna give my friend a bear-hug for being so awesome." 

Chuckling, Lena more than welcomes Kara's hug, sighing contently into the embrace. 

When she feels Kara starting to pull back, Lena wishes they could stay like that just a while longer, but she knows she must let go. Putting on her practiced smile to mask her feelings, Lena asks, "Is there anything else on your mind?" 

Kara mentally debates whether she should tell Lena about Reign or not, but ultimately she decides that is too much of a Supergirl problem to talk it over with Lena, so Kara puts on a practiced smile of her own and shakes her head, "No, thank you, Lena." 

"Anytime," Lena replies, completely oblivious to Kara's internal debate. "Should we head back?" 

"Yes," Kara agrees, and they start making their way back to CatCo, but before they can enter the elevator, Lena's phone rings as a message is delivered to her, and she stops to read it. "Is everything okay?" Kara asks, noticing the slight frown on her friend's face. 

"Yeah," Lena replies, smiling back at Kara to reassure her. They enter the elevator, and Lena presses the right button for Kara and the garage button for herself. "You go ahead; I need to go over to L-Corp for a few," Lena says. 

"Oh, okay," Kara replies, and even though she's curious, she refrains from prying further. 

A few minutes later, Lena enters her old office at L-Corp, looking worriedly between Sam and Alex. "Hey," she says softly, coming to a stop in front of the couch where the two women are sitting close to each other. "What's going on? The text sounded serious." 

Sam shares a look with Alex, and when her friend gives her an encouraging nod, Sam looks back at Lena and says lowly, "I need to step down from my position in the company." 

"What?" Lena asks confusedly, going over to sit next to Sam. "Why would you need to do that? Is it the hours, because if it is, we can try to work something out--" 

"No," Sam smiles softly at Lena's willingness to help her out even before she can tell her what's wrong. "I… I'm sick, a-and I won't be able to work properly anymore…" 

"Sick?" Lena laughs a little awkwardly in disbelief. "W-What's wrong?" 

Again, Sam looks at Alex, but this time there's anguish in her eyes; she doesn't want to lie to Lena, but at the same time, Sam's ashamed of what she might become, and she doesn't want to risk Lena looking at her any differently. With just that look, Alex understands what's going on in Sam's mind, and she lightly squeezes Sam's knee in reassurance. "We're not certain yet," Alex replies to Lena, "we're running some tests, but it will take us some time to figure out what's causing the symptoms Sam's feeling." 

"But what are you feeling?" Lena presses on, looking pointedly at  _Sam_  for answers. 

"Uh… I-I… I'm losing time," Sam swallows hard; gaze dropping to her own hands as she fidgets with them. "I'll be doing one thing, and the next thing I know I'm waking up in a strange place with no recollection of what I did." At least that isn't a lie; it hasn't happened more than once, but Sam knows if Reign takes hold of her, it will happen again. 

"Oh…" Lena is at a loss, she doesn't know what to say, but her brain is working fast to find a way to help. 

"I'm sorry to let you down, Lena, I know you took a chance on me, and now…"  _I'm a disappointment_ , Sam thinks. 

"Hey, no, don't think like that," Lena says, placing a comforting hand on her friend's back. "This is not something you chose. And it's okay. You don't have to worry about me or the company; James has run CatCo for a year, he can continue to do it, and I'm okay coming back to L-Corp. All you need to do right now is take care of yourself, okay?" 

"Thank you," Sam whispers the words; she doesn't dare speak any louder knowing that if she does so, her voice will break. 

"That's what friends are for," Lena gives Sam a small smile and continues, "but as your boss, I need to remind you that L-Corp has the best health insurance, so don't worry about any hospital bills, okay? You do whatever you need to do." 

"Wait," Sam frowns, "y-you're not gonna fire me?" 

"What? No!" Lena shakes her head. "You're going to take a leave of absence, and when you get better -- which I'm  _sure_  you will -- you'll get back to work." 

Sam doesn't try to fight the urge to hug Lena; she envelops her friend in a tight embrace and whispers through her tears, "Thank you, Lena. Thank you so much." 

Alex observes the two, and she thinks that once more Lena Luthor is proving how different she is from the rest of her family; and at that moment, Alex understands why Kara has fought so ardently against those who criticize Lena based on nothing but their preconceived ideas of her. 

When Sam pulls back, Lena asks softly, "What about Ruby, have you talked to her?" 

Sam shakes her head in response, and Alex explains, "We're going to pick her up from school today and then they'll talk." 

Lena frowns slightly, wondering if Alex is speaking for Sam because Sam can't bring herself to do it, or if it's because the two have become a couple, but Lena doesn't ask anything related to that. After all, Sam already has a lot in her mind. "Okay," she nods, "text or call if you need anything--anything at all." 

Sam gives Lena a watery smile, nodding in understanding. "Thank you again, Lena. I-I'll never forget this." She stands up and opens her arms, waiting to give Lena another hug. 

Lena happily complies, standing up and letting Sam pull her into a tight hug. "Don't mention it, and I'm here for you. Always." 

The words pull at Sam's heart, making her feel guilty for not being truthful with Lena, but she can't bring herself to be honest… not yet, at least. 

They say their goodbyes, and Sam and Alex head toward Ruby's school.  

Time starts to blur as soon as the three of them sit down to talk at the Arias household. The entire thing feels surreal to everyone involved; Alex feels incredibly sad for mother and daughter, but she tries to appear positive for Ruby's sake. Sam, being the amazing mother she is, keeps a brave façade while being as honest as possible with her daughter. And Ruby… she just can't believe what her mother is telling her. 

"Wh-What do you mean you're sick? What is it?? Is it cancer?? Are you going to die???" The questions fly out of Ruby's mouth in rapid succession, and she can't help the tears that roll down her cheeks. 

Sam gathers her daughter in her arms and does her best to answer Ruby's questions while still trying to be soothing. "We don't know what it is yet, but Alex is helping me figure it out, and we'll fight it together, okay?" Sam whispers softly, gently rubbing Ruby's back.  

"Y-You can't leave me, mom!" Ruby's choked-up words cut through Sam and Alex's hearts, and the anguish Sam feels in that very moment turns into the solid resolution that she will do everything in her power to defeat Reign so she can be there for Ruby. 

Sam keeps holding her daughter, gently rocking her and cooing soothing words until the teenager stops crying, and being emotionally exhausted, Ruby eventually falls asleep. 

"Sometimes I can't believe how much she's grown," Sam whispers the words, and even though Alex is listening to her, the agent feels like Sam is mostly speaking to herself. "But sometimes… sometimes she still looks like my little baby." 

Alex wants to reach out, she wants to hug both of them, but she doesn't want to intrude on Sam's moment with her daughter, so she nods and hums lowly in understanding.  

The silence that falls on them feels heavy, and it seems to stretch for a long time when in reality it has only been a few seconds. Alex wasn't aware of how deafening the silence was until she hears Sam speak again, and she exhales in relief. "I'm going to tuck her in," Sam says, standing up carefully as to not awaken her daughter. Chuckling lowly, Sam shakes her head in disbelief, "Well… on the bright side, it's as if she weighs about as much as a feather to me now." The words make Alex smile, and she watches as Sam makes her way toward the stairs. 

Left on her own, Alex's mind starts going down a rabbit hole;  _What if I can't save Sam? What is Reign going to do to us if she takes over? How am I going to protect Ruby? Will she even want me around if I can't keep her mom safe?_  Alex's mind is merciless on her, and before Alex knows it, she's already standing outside on the front lawn with her cell phone in hand. She looks down and sees her thumb hovering over the name of the one person she had come to rely on in the past few months. 

Exhaling shakily and deciding to give in to her impulses, Alex taps on the name and brings her phone to her ear. It rings a couple of times before the familiar voice answers it, bringing a bittersweet smile to Alex's lips. "Hey," Alex breathes out, "can we talk?" 

The line goes quiet long enough to make Alex wonder if she was hung up on, but then the raspy voice graces her ear again agreeing to meet her, and Alex sighs in relief. "Great, thank you…” biting her lip, Alex adds, "I'll see you soon, Maggie." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> If you'd like, feel free to send me a message on tumblr (@kara-danvers-lena-luthor).
> 
> Please, if you liked the chapter, spare a moment to write a review, even a smiley face or writing "leaving extra kudos" will be greatly appreciated!


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